Cosmetics increase the prevalence of dry eye disease, a recent study suggests. Photo: Getty Images.

The prevalence of dry eye disease is higher among women who use eye cosmetics compared with the general population, according to findings from a recent cross-sectional study. This suggests, according to the researchers, that eye cosmetic use is a risk factor for the development of this condition.

The study, which aimed to estimate the prevalence of dry eye symptoms among women who use eye cosmetics, assessed dry eye disease with the Ocular Surface Disease Index questionnaire. A total of 207 responses were included in this analysis.

The prevalence of dry eye disease among women who used eye cosmetics was 71.6%, with 40.5%, 13.5% and 17.6% reporting severe, moderate and mild conditions, respectively, according to the study authors, who noted that this prevalence is much higher than the general population.

Additionally, the researchers reported that the frequency of using inner eyeliner significantly increased the prevalence of dry eye disease. Conversely, the findings suggest no correlation between the frequency of using mascara or external eyeliner and the prevalence of the condition.

The most commonly used eye cosmetics were mascara (98.6%) and eye shadow (91.8%), followed by external eyeliner (78.8%). The data showed that the least used eye cosmetics were false eyelashes (35.3%), inner eyeliner (47.3%) and lenses (54.1%). The most commonly used eye cosmetic in this study for daily use was mascara (18.8%).

Of the study participants, 34.3% reported always using a cleanser to remove cosmetics, while 24.6% rarely used it. The majority of participants remove any cosmetic before sleeping (82.6%), while 15.9% noted that they sleep with their eye cosmetics. Data showed that the severity of dry eye disease was significantly higher among women who do not use a cleanser to remove their cosmetics.

“In conclusion, we found that the prevalence of dry eye disease among women who used eye cosmetics was 71.6%, which is much higher than the prevalence of dry eye disease in other populations, indicating that using eye cosmetics is a risk factor for developing dry eye disease,” the study authors noted in their recent Cureus paper. “We believe that the negative impact of eye cosmetics on eye health increases based on two conditions: the application of cosmetics near the eye and the high frequency of usage of these cosmetics.”

Albdaya NA, Binyousef FH, Alrashid MH, et al. Prevalence of dry eye disease and its association with the frequent usage of eye cosmetics among women. Cureus. 2022;14(7):e27142.