Dry Eye Disease in the Middle East and Northern Africa: A Position Paper on the Current State and Unmet Needs

Sihem Lazreg; Mohamed Hosny; Muhammad A Ahad; Mazen M Sinjab; Riadh Messaoud; Shady T Awwad; Antoine Rousseau

doi:10.2147/OPTH.S436027

Dry Eye Disease in the Middle East and Northern Africa: A Position Paper on the Current State and Unmet Needs

Clin Ophthalmol. 2024 Mar 6:18:679-698. doi: 10.2147/OPTH.S436027. eCollection 2024.

Authors

Sihem Lazreg¹, Mohamed Hosny², Muhammad A Ahad³, Mazen M Sinjab⁴, Riadh Messaoud⁵, Shady T Awwad⁶, Antoine Rousseau⁷

Affiliations

¹ Ophthalmology Cabinet, Blida, Algeria.
² Refractive and Cornea Service, Cairo University Hospitals, Cairo, Egypt.
³ Department of Ophthalmology, Anterior Segment Division, King Khaled Eye Specialist Hospital, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
⁴ Dr Sulaiman Al Habib Hospital, DHCC, Dubai, United Arab Emirates.
⁵ Department of Ophthalmology, Tahar SFAR University Hospital, Mahdia, Tunisia.
⁶ Department of Ophthalmology, American University of Beirut - Medical Center, Beirut, Lebanon.
⁷ Department of Ophthalmology, Bicêtre Hospital, Paris-Saclay University, Le Kremlin-Bicêtre, France.

Abstract

In the Middle East and Northern Africa (MENA), dry eye disease (DED) is often misdiagnosed or overlooked. This review summarizes a series of conversations with ophthalmologists in the region around a variety of climatic, lifestyle, and iatrogenic factors that contribute to specific features of DED in the MENA region. These considerations are further classified by patient lifestyle and surgical choices. All statements are based on discussions and formal voting to achieve consensus over three meetings. Overall, a deeper understanding of the disease characteristics of DED specific to MENA can better guide local eyecare practitioners on appropriate management and follow-up care. Additionally, population-based studies and patient and physician education on ocular surface diseases, together with the use of culturally appropriate and language-specific questionnaires can help ease the public health burden of DED in this region.

Keywords: epidemiology; ocular surface; patient outcomes; regional clinical practice; treatment.

Publication types

Review

Grants and funding

Bausch & Lomb provided funding for the author meetings for the development of this manuscript and for the Open Access to this manuscript. Emmanuelle Gorsse of JBH Sante, France provided editorial support, and this service was paid for by Bausch & Lomb. The authors were involved in the entire process, from design to critical revision of the manuscript, and maintained complete control over its direction and content. Bausch & Lomb did not have any influence on the manuscript content.