Dry Eye-Related Ocular Surface Assessment in a Pooled Endometriosis/Adenomyosis Cohort: A Real-World Case–Control Study

Matilde Buzzi, Aurora Tenti, Alberto Carnicci, Carlo Gennaro, Davide Totaro, Maria Volotovskaya, Maria Elisabetta Coccia, Fabrizio Giansanti, Gianni Virgili, Rita Mencucci
In: Diagnostics · 2026 · vol. 16(10) , pp. 1524 · doi:10.3390/diagnostics16101524 · PMID:42196890 · W7161608578
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⚙ AI-generated summary by claude@2026-06, 2026-06-06 ⓘ

This case-control study found that women with endometriosis or adenomyosis had significantly higher dry eye symptom scores and objectively poorer tear film stability and meibomian gland function compared to controls.

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Abstract

Background/Objectives: To explore potential dry eye-related ocular surface functional alterations in women at the time of first diagnosis of endometriosis or adenomyosis in a real-world clinical setting. Methods: This was a cross-sectional case–control study. Patients were evaluated at the time of initial diagnosis, prior to initiation of any hormonal therapy, to reflect real-world clinical conditions. Participants underwent a standardized ocular surface assessment comprising the Ocular Surface Disease Index (OSDI) questionnaire, Schirmer test, and multimodal TearCheck® analysis, including Non-Invasive Break-Up Time (NIBUT), Tear Film Stability Evaluation (TFSE), Meibography, and Abortive Blinking®. Results: A total of 71 women were included: 41 with endometriosis or adenomyosis and 30 without known gynecological disease. Patients reported significantly higher OSDI scores than controls (p < 0.05). Objective testing demonstrated lower Schirmer values, reduced tear film stability, and more pronounced Meibomian gland dropout in the patient group (all p < 0.05). Differences were consistently observed across both subjective and objective parameters. Conclusions: Women with endometriosis and/or adenomyosis exhibited significantly altered ocular surface parameters compared with women without known gynecological disease. These findings suggest a possible association between gynecological disease and ocular surface dysfunction. Greater awareness of potential ocular involvement may encourage closer collaboration between gynecology and ophthalmology in the care of affected patients.

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Condition tags

endometriosisadenomyosis

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Papers in the corpus that this work cites (lower rings, blue) and that cite this one (upper rings, green). Dot size scales with the paper's in-corpus citation count — bigger dot = more influential within the endo/adeno field. Click a dot to open that paper. [ expand to 2 hops ] — adds papers reached through this work's immediate citers/citees. Heavier; up to 60 extra dots.

References (25)

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