Korean J Ophthalmol.
2024 Dec;38(6):441-449. 10.3341/kjo.2024.0076.
Dry Eye Syndrome in Children during the COVID-19 Pandemic
- Affiliations
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- 1Department of Ophthalmology, Jeonbuk National University Hospital, Jeonju, Korea
- 2Department of Ophthalmology, Jeonbuk National University Medical School, Jeonju, Korea
- 3Research Institute of Clinical Medicine of Jeonbuk National Univeristy-Biomedical Research Institute of Jeonbuk National University Hospital, Jeonju, Korea
- 4Department of Otorhinolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, Jeonbuk National University Medical School, Jeonju, Korea
- 5Department of Medical Informatics, Jeonbuk National University Medical School, Jeonju, Korea
- KMID: 2561656
- DOI: http://doi.org/10.3341/kjo.2024.0076
Abstract
- Purpose
The aim of this study was to investigate the occurrence of dry eye syndrome (DES) in children under 18 years old before and during the COVID-19 pandemic using nationwide population-based cohort analysis.
Methods
This study utilized the database provided by the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency and the Korean National Health Insurance Service. We used claims-based data for patients diagnosed with COVID-19 between October 8, 2020, and December 31, 2021, and those without a diagnosis of COVID-19. DES cases were defined as having at least one diagnosis of H0411 or H1621 based on the International Classification of Diseases, 10th Revision codes. The primary outcome was the evaluation of the hazard ratio for DES between the COVID-19 season and the non–COVID-19 season.
Results
A total of 198,486 individuals from the COVID-19 season cohort and 211,828 individuals from the non–COVID-19 season cohort were included in the study. There were no differences in characteristics between the COVID-19 season cohort and the non–COVID-19 season cohort (all standardized mean difference, <0.1). The cumulative incidence of DES during the COVID-19 season was significantly higher than that during the non–COVID-19 season. The COVID-19 season DES incidence rate was 6,419.64 per 100,000 person-years and non–COVID-19 season DES incidence rate was 5,804.88 per 100,000 person-years. In addition, children aged 13 to 18 years, female sex, those living in metropolitan areas, and those with diabetes mellitus had a higher risk of DES.
Conclusions
The prevalence of diagnosed DES in children increased during the COVID-19 pandemic compared to previous years. Children aged 13 to 18 years, female sex, those living in metropolitan areas, and those with diabetes mellitus had a higher risk of DES. Further studies are needed to directly analyze the potential factors associated with the increased prevalence of DES.
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