Eye care professionals' surveyed perceptions of blepharitis are revealing
Landmark surveys of patient and eye care professional perceptions of the impact of blepharitis in America, conducted in 2008, found that a large portion of the adult population could be affected by symptoms associated with blepharitis.
Marguerite McDonald, MD, FACS, who headed the group evaluating the findings, said "There was surprisingly little prevalence data before this, which was why the two surveys were undertaken." Dr. McDonald is clinical professor of ophthalmology at New York University School of Medicine, New York, and adjunct clinical professor of ophthalmology at Tulane University Health Sciences Center in New Orleans.
"If you step back and look at both of these studies, you can say that, based on these surveys, perhaps as many as 28 million American adults are affected by symptoms associated with blepharitis," Dr. McDonald continued. "Also, eye-care specialists care about the diagnosis and treatment of ocular surface diseases, including blepharitis, and are looking for additional tools to manage patients with blepharitis and to prevent the adverse outcomes that we know so well."
