Is there a relationship between the severity of disease in major depressive disorder patients and dry eye disease?

PurposeTo investigate dry eye disease (DED) in newly diagnosed patients with depressive disorder (MDD). MethodThis observational study included 48 MDD patients in Group 1 and 20 healthy controls in Group 2. Psychiatric and ophthalmic examinations, Beck Depression Inventory (BDI), Ocular Surface Disease Index (OSDI), Schirmer's test, tear breakup time (TBUT), Meibomian gland dysfunction (MGD), and ocular staining were conducted. The results were statistically compared. ResultsThe participants, comprising 32 men and 36 women, had a mean age of 31.08 +/- 11.7 years (18-64 years). Group 1 had a mean BDI score of 30.87 +/- 8.56, while Group 2 had a score of 1.3 +/- 1.3 (p < 0.001). In Group 1, 28 patients were diagnosed with DED, whereas in Group 2, six subjects were diagnosed with DED. The mean Schirmer's results in Group 1 and Group 2 were (mm/5 min) 10.87 +/- 2.44 and 12.70 +/- 2.3, respectively, and were significantly lower in Group 1 (p < 0.001). The mean OSDI scores in Group 1 (34.95 +/- 15.8) were significantly higher compared to Group 2 (3.2 +/- 3.1) (p < 0.001). There was no significant difference in mean TBUT between Group 1 (9.41 +/- 2.6 s) and Group 2 (9.8 +/- 0.61 s) (p > 0.05). Significant correlations were found between BDI scores and Schirmer's results as well as OSDI scores (p < 0.05, p = 0.02, respectively). No statistically significant correlations were found between BDI scores and TBUT or MGD (p > 0.05). ConclusionDED was found to be more prevalent in the MDD group. The severity of MDD and DED, as indicated by BDI, OSDI, and Schirmer's results, was found to be correlated. It was observed that patients with higher depression scores had more severe dry eye. As a result, we recommend performing ophthalmic examinations in newly diagnosed MDD patients.