Association of dyslipidaemia and oral statin use, and dry eye disease symptoms in the Blue Mountains Eye Study

Importance: There is limited literature on oral statin use and its association with dry eye.
Background: To analyse the association between dyslipidaemia, use of oral statin drugs, and symptoms of dry eye disease (DED) among older adults.
Design: Population‐based study.
Participants: Participants of the Blue Mountains Eye Study III (BMESIII), a large cohort study in suburban Sydney, aged 60 years or older (mean age = 74, range = 60–97, n = 1680) were analysed.
Methods: Information on DED symptoms and statin use were obtained from an interviewer‐administered questionnaire. Serum lipid profiles were determined from fasting blood tests.
Main Outcome Measures: The association of various DED symptoms, as well as their number and their severity, with dyslipidaemia and oral statin intake was evaluated.
Results: At least one DED symptom was reported in 52% (n = 1029) of the population. Patients with hypercholesterolaemia (>5.5 mmol/L) did not report more DED symptoms than those without hypercholesterolaemia. Neither serum high‐density lipoprotein nor low‐density lipoprotein levels were associated with any DED symptoms. Patients taking oral statins were more likely to report one or more moderate to severe symptoms of DED (odds ratio: 2.054, 95% confidence interval: 1.281–3.295).
Conclusions and Relevance: The association between oral statin use and presence of moderate to severe DED symptomatology is a novel finding that deserves further mechanistic and clinical correlation in order to determine its potential, or lack thereof, for the management of dry eye.