Qualidade de vida e doença da superfície ocular em pacientes submetidos a terapia antiglaucomatosa

Abstract

QUALITY OF LIFE AND OCULAR SURFACE DISEASE IN PATIENTS UNDERGOING ANTIGLAUCOMATOUS THERAPY Glaucoma is the leading cause of irreversible blindness in the world. The preservatives present in topical antiglaucomatous medications are related to metaplasia and inflammation, resulting in tear film instability and damage to ocular tissues. These alterations may manifest as ocular surface disease (OSD) – multifactorial condition with negative repercussions on the patients’ quality of life and one of the dry eye syndrome etiology. Objective: Evaluate the quality of life and the presence and severity of OSD in patients in use of antiglaucomatous medications, accompanied at a glaucoma reference service. Methods: Cross-sectional study using a convenience sample of 100 patients at the Glaucoma Service of Ambulatório Magalhães Neto, unit of the Hospital Complex Professor Edgard Santos. Data was collected through the questionnaire Ocular Surface Disease Index® (OSDI®). Additional data such as medical history, medications in use, time of use of these medications, the tear film breakup time, blepharitis history and other pathologies of the ocular surface were collected from medical records. Results: Forty-four per cent of the patients presented severe OSD, 15% presented mild OSD and 13% presented moderate OSD. Patients undergoing therapy for a longer period had more severe OSD. The presence of pterygium, pinguecula or blepharitis contributed significantly to the decreasing of the ocular surface health. There was no statistically significant relation between the number of medications used and the presence and severity of OSD. Conclusions: The antiglaucomatous therapy endangers the ocular surface health and consequently impairs daily activities and negatively interferes on the patients' quality of life. This study demonstrated a direct relation between the therapy duration and severity of OSD.