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. 2018 Jan 16;18(1):8.
doi: 10.1186/s12886-018-0671-z.

Coping with dry eyes: a qualitative approach

Sharon Yeo  1 , Louis Tong  2   3   4   5
Affiliations

Coping with dry eyes: a qualitative approach

Sharon Yeo et al. BMC Ophthalmol. .

Abstract

Background: Dry eye is a common problem that affects many people worldwide, reducing quality of life and impacting daily activities. A qualitative approach often used in medicine and other disciplines is used to evaluate how people with dry eye cope with this impact.

Methods: Six focus group sessions were conducted at the Singapore National Eye Centre (SNEC), premises of an eye research institute. These focus groups consist of a spectrum of dry eye sufferers (30 women, 8 men, aged 61 ± 11.8 years). Standard methods of coding followed by determination of themes were adhered to. Where classification was difficult, consensus was made between 3 assessors.

Results: Audio-recorded transcripts were coded in 10 themes by 3 assessors independently. Four of the themes involved traditional measures such as lid warming, cleansing, lubrication and oral dietary supplements. The other themes discovered were Traditional Chinese Medicine, modification of eye-care habits (e.g. wearing sunglasses), environmental humidity, lifestyle (e.g. sleeping habits), psychological attitude, and lastly sharing and communication.

Conclusion: Holistic coping strategies were found to be prominent in dry eye sufferers from these focus groups, and people tend to find personalised ways of coping with the impact of dry eye on daily living.

Keywords: Dry eye; Focus group; Holistic care; Human disease; Keratoconjunctivitis sicca; Ocular surface disease; Qualitative methods.

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Conflict of interest statement

Ethics approval and consent to participate

The study was approved by the Institutional Review Board and written informed consent was obtained from all participants.

Consent for publication

Not applicable.

Competing interests

The authors declare that they have no competing interests.

Publisher’s Note

Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
Schematic illustrating the coping strategies uncovered in focus groups
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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