Correlation of Ocular rubbing, Tear film stability, and Irregular astigmatism in Allergic Conjunctivitis

Abstract

Background: A common inflammatory condition of the eyes, allergic conjunctivitis is characterized by persistent itching, which often results in habitual rubbing of the eyes. The purpose of this study was to look into the relationship between tear film stability, irregular astigmatism, and ocular rubbing behavior in allergic conjunctivitis patients.

Objective: To investigate the correlation between ocular rubbing frequency, tear film stability and irregular astigmatism in patients with Allergic Conjunctivitis. To determine whether patients with allergic conjunctivitis have irregular astigmatism and how often they rub their eyes. To assess how patients with allergic conjunctivitis’ tear film stability and irregular astigmatism relate to one another.

Methodology: This cross-sectional observational study was carried out at District Headquarter Hospital Khushab's outpatient department. Over the course of four months, convenience sampling was used to enroll 124 patients who had been diagnosed with allergic conjunctivitis. Individuals with a confirmed diagnosis of allergic conjunctivitis between the ages of 10 and 40 were included; those with corneal ectasia, previous ocular surgery, dry eye unrelated to allergies, or systemic eye diseases were not. Keratometry readings were used to measure irregular astigmatism, Tear Break Up Time was used to assess tear film stability, and a standardized scoring system was used to measure ocular rubbing behavior.

Results: This study included 124 allergic conjunctivitis patients in total. Both the right eye (r = -0.573, p < 0.001) and the left eye (r = -0.534, p < 0.001) showed a significant negative correlation between the ocular rubbing score and TBUT, according to Spearman correlation analysis. The ocular rubbing score and irregular astigmatism in the right eye (r = 0.496, p < 0.001) and left eye (r = 0.570, p < 0.001) were found to significantly positively correlate. Additionally, there was a significant negative correlation between astigmatism and tear film stability in both eyes (RE: r = -0.564, LE: r = -0.516, p < 0.001), suggesting that increased corneal astigmatism is linked to decreased tear film stability.

Conclusion: In patients with allergic conjunctivitis, the current study showed strong associations between tear film stability, irregular astigmatism, and ocular rubbing behavior. Greater corneal astigmatism and decreased tear film stability were linked to increased ocular rubbing, while irregular astigmatism was further linked to decreased tear film stability. These results highlight the significance of early detection and management of ocular rubbing behavior to prevent visual deterioration by suggesting that habitual eye rubbing in allergic conjunctivitis patients contributes to progressive ocular surface and corneal changes.