Association of Dry Eye Disease with Dyslipidemia and Statin Use.

Abstract Purpose To determine whether an association exists between dry eye disease (DED) and statin use and/or dyslipidemia. Design Retrospective, case-control study.Methods: -Setting University of North Carolina (UNC) affiliated healthcare facilities. -Study Population 72,931 patients seen at UNC ophthalmology clinics over a 10 year period. -Main Outcome Measures Odds ratios (ORs) calculated between DED and a history of low, moderate, or high-intensity statin use; and ORs calculated between DED and abnormal lipid panel values. Results 39,336 individuals (53.9% female) were analyzed after exclusion of individuals with confounding risk factors for DED. Of these, 3,399 patients (8.6%) carried a diagnosis of DED. Low, moderate, and high intensity statin regimens were used by 751 (1.9%), 2,655 (6.8%), and 1,036 (2.6%), respectively. Lipid abnormalities were identified as follows: total cholesterol >200, 4,558 (11.6%); HDL 130, 2,756 (7.0%); and TGs >150, 2,881 (7.3%). The odds of carrying a diagnosis of DED given the presence of low, moderate, and high-intensity statin use were 1.39 (1.13,1.72), 1.47 (1.30,1.65), and 1.46 (1.21,1.75), respectively. The odds of carrying a diagnosis of DED given the presence of total cholesterol >200, HDL 130, and TGs >150 were 1.66 (1.52,1.82), 1.45 (1.26,1.67), 1.55 (1.39,1.74), and 1.43 (1.27,1.61), respectively. Conclusions A history of statin use or dyslipidemia is associated with an increased odds of having a DED diagnosis. Further studies are needed to determine whether statin use and/or dyslipidemia increase the risk of DED.