Background: Dry eye is a disorder of tear film caused by reduced tear production or excessive tear evaporation. High incidence of sicca symptoms has been noted in fibromyalgia(FM) patients resulting in serious complications such as corneal ulceration and scarring.
Objectives: This study was undertaken to evaluate the incidence of dry eye by pathogenic mechanism and to investigate the relationship between dry eye and symptom severity in FM patients.

Methods: Fifty-one patients who visited Maryknoll Hospital between March 2006 and December 2006 were included. Enrolled patients underwent Korean Fibromyalgia Impact Questionnaire(KFIQ), Ocular Surface Disease Index(OSDI), Schirmer test and Tear Break Up Test(TBUT). The KFIQ score and OSDI score are used to assess the severity of fibromyalgia symptoms and dry eye symptoms, respectively. The Schirmer test and TBUT are used to assess reduced tear production and excessive tear evaporation, respectively. We assessed OSDI score, Schirmer test, TBUT, age and disease duration in terms of KFIQ score.

Results: The incidence of dry eye was high in FM patients(11.8% by Schirmer test and 90.2% by TBUT test). OSDI score was positively correlated with KFIQ score(p=0.006). Positive correlation was observed between schirmer test and KFIQ score(p=0.034), but not between TBUT and KFIQ score.


Conclusion: In this study, dry eye is common in FMS patients. Excessive tear evaporation was more common cause of dry eye than reduced tear production. The patients with more severe dry eye symptom tend to have more severe fibromyalgia symptoms.