Assessment of Dry Eye Symptoms: Current Trends and Issues of Dry Eye Questionnaires in Japan

Dry eye disease (DED) is one of the most common disease in the ophthalmic clinic, and the reasons DED patients visit ophthalmic clinics are symptoms such as stinging, burning, or scratchy sensations. The symptoms and visual disturbances of DED have a negative impact on the daily routines and social lives of the patients (i.e., their quality of life [QOL]). The presence of symptoms was required in the definition of DED by the National Eye Institute/Industry Workshop in 1995; therefore, disease-specific questionnaires were essential for monitoring and managing patients with DED. Thereafter, many questionnaires have been developed to evaluate the specific symptoms of dry eyes. Although many questionnaires are available to assess the dry eye symptoms, it is essential that they provide valid answers and are easy to use to assess the effects of DED on the QOL. The Asia Dry Eye Society and Japan Dry Eye Society have proposed a new definition of DED that is a combination of symptoms and an unstable tear film, and information on these two factors is sufficient to make a definitive diagnosis of DED. Therefore, the assessments of the symptoms are fundamental in the diagnosis of DED.