A nationwide population-based study on epidemiologic characteristics and treatment patterns of dry eye disease in South Korea

Abstract

This study investigated the prevalence of dry eye disease (DED) and the use of major DED medications in South Korea using data from the Health Insurance Review and Assessment database, a nationwide registry with mandatory enrollment. A total of 6,383,885 individuals from 2016 to 2020 were included, selected annually through stratified random sampling. Patients with DED were identified by the ICD-10 code H04.1 assigned as the primary diagnosis by a clinician. Among the total population, 567,141 were diagnosed with DED, yielding a 5-year prevalence of 8.88%. Prevalence was higher in females (11.52%) than in males (5.92%) and increased with age, reaching 21.96% in individuals aged 70-74. Among DED patients, 86.91% received at least one medication. Single-use hyaluronic acid (HA) was most commonly prescribed (43.0%), followed by bottled steroids (24.5%), bottled HA (19.6%), and bottled diquafosol (4.3%). Annual prescriptions of cyclosporine and single-use steroids increased over time. Older patients were more likely to receive bottled formulations than single-use medication. This is the first nationwide study to examine DED prescription patterns on a large-scale population basis in South Korea, and the findings highlight the accessibility of HA-based therapies within a universal health coverage system, offering a distinct perspective compared to global patterns.

Keywords: Dry eye disease; Epidemiology; Hyaluronic acid; Prescription pattern; Prevalence; Treatment pattern.

Fig. 1

Bar chart showing the prevalence of DED across 5-year age groups. The x-axis represents age groups, and the y-axis shows the percentage of individuals diagnosed with DED. Prevalence values are labeled below each bar.

Fig. 2

Pie chart showing the proportion of major DED medications prescribed from 2016 to 2020. HA, hyaluronic acid; CMC, carboxymethylcellulose; DQS, diquafosol.

Fig. 3

Stacked bar chart showing the prescription distribution of major DED medications by 5-year age groups. The x-axis represents age groups, and the y-axis shows the number of patients. Medications are distinguished by segments within each bar.