Torra ögon beror på en tårfilmsdefekt och ger symtom såsom skav, irritation och dimsyn. Symtomen kan orsakas av till exempel sjukdomar, läkemedelbiverkningar eller miljöfaktorer. Syftet med denna pilotstudie var att undersöka patienters upplevelser av att ha torra ögon. Studien genomfördes som en kvalitativ intervjustudie med en induktiv ansats. Databearbetningen genomfördes med hjälp av en manifest innehållsanalys. Följande kategorier framkom: fysisk påverkan, begränsningar, att bli tagen på allvar, utvecklat ett förhållningssätt till sin situation samt stöd och social gemenskap. Patienter med torra ögon upplever att de påverkas fysiskt genom att ögonen till exempel skaver, kliar och smärtar. Vissa miljöer och aktiviteter påverkar symtomen i negativ riktning. Patienterna påverkas i sin vardag på så sätt att de har svårigheter att se på tv, att köra bil under längre tid eller att läsa. Vissa miljöer kan vara ansträngande att arbeta i. Bemötande och information från ögonsjukvården upplevs ibland som bristfällig. Patienterna verkar ändå acceptera sin situation, prövar sig fram och försöker hitta lösningar. Att kunna träffa och diskutera sin situation och sina behandlingar kring torra ögon med andra patienter i samma situation upplevs som positivt, då detta bidrar till social gemenskap och utveckling av egenvården. Ökad förståelse för hur patienter med torra ögon påverkas och upplever sin situation är viktigt för att kunna tillgodose patienternas egenvårdsbehov och för att ge sjukvårdspersonal evidensbaserad kunskap. Mer forskning, såväl flera som mer omfattande studier behövs för att öka kunskapen om patienter med torra ögon. / Dry eyes are due to a tear film defect, give symptoms such as chafing, eye irritation and blurred vision. The symptoms may be caused by, diseases, medication side effects or environmental factors. The aim of this pilot study was to examine patients ' experiences of having dry eyes. The study was conducted as a qualitative interview study with an inductive approach. Data processing was performed using a manifest content analysis. The following categories emerged; physical impact, limitations, to be taken seriously, developed an approach to his/her situation, and support and social community. Patients with dry eyes feel they are physically affected by chafing, itching and pain. Some environments and activities affect the symptoms in a negative direction. The patients are affected in daily life, such as difficulties watching television, to drive a car for longer periods of time, or to read. The personal treatment and information from staff in an eye department are sometimes seen as failing. Patients seem to accept their situation, they are testing their own ways trying to find solutions. To be able to meet and discuss their situation and their treatments of dry eye with other patients in the same situation is perceived as positive, as this contributes to a sense of social relationship and a development of patient self-care. Better understanding of how patients with dry eye are affected by and experiences their situation is important in order to meet patients ' self-care needs and to provide the medical staff evidence-based knowledge. There is a need to increase the knowledge about patients with dry eyes and their experiences to this problem. More extensive studies in this area need to be accomplished.

INTRODUCTION/PURPOSE: Billions of people world wide suffer from refractive errors requiring glasses, contact lenses, or other means of correction to enable them to see better. Many people seeking permanent means to correct their vision consider undergoing corneal refractive laser surgeries (CRLS), photorefractive keratectomy (PRK), laser-assisted subepithelial keratectomy (LASEK), or laser in situ keratomileusis (LASIK). These surgeries have been shown to improve vision, but are not without risks for complications intra-operatively and postoperatively. Few studies have looked at the long-term incidence of postoperative complications such as dry eyes and visual aberrations and the associated preoperative risk factors. It is the aim of this study to examine the long-term incidence of dry eyes and visual aberrations (starbursts, halos, glare) after CRLS, and assess for preoperative risk factors associated with the persistence of these symptoms after surgery. METHODS: This study consisted of 319 patients identified for undergoing PRK, LASEK, or LASIK, at Boston Laser between December 2009 and January 2014. The participants in this study completed a novel online questionnaire consisting of questions to assess dry eye and visual aberration symptoms, and included questions adapted from the Ocular Surface Disease Index (OSDI). Postoperative dry eye symptoms were measured based on the OSDI score and a new dry eye measurement score created for this study's questionnaire. Presence or absence of visual aberration symptoms postoperatively were measured based on a score created for this study and derived from the calculation of the OSDI score. Additionally, a retrospective chart review was conducted of the 319 participants' medical charts to gather and assess for preoperative risk factors related to the long-term incidence of both dry eye and visual aberration symptoms. RESULTS: Our data found a significant association (p < 0.05) that suggests a relationship between development of long-term dry eye symptoms and the following preoperative variables: pupil size, flap thickness, and dry eye risk assessment (including: Zone Quick test values ≤ 9.0mm, contact lens use, and dry eyes with and without contact lenses). No significant association (p > 0.05) was found between the novel dry eye score and the preoperative factors, but it did approach significance with two variables, necessitating further investigation: gender and actual ablation. No significance (p >0.05) was found in the association between the preoperative dry eye risk assessment and severity of postoperative symptoms as gathered using the OSDI score. Our data found a significant association (p < 0.05) that suggests an increased risk for development of long-term visual aberrations symptoms postoperatively with the following preoperative variables: cylindrical manifest refraction, flat K, and greater actual flap thickness. As well as identifying two other possible variables that approached significance requiring further investigation: steep K and preoperative visual aberrations risk (including: spherical manifest refraction &#8805; -6.00, astigmatic manifest refraction ≥ -2.00, and pupil diameter ≥ 7.0). The data showed a significant association (p < 0.05) between postoperative symptom presence and the aforementioned preoperative visual aberrations risk. Our data showed no significance (p > 0.05) when comparing the difference between mean OSDI, dry eye, and visual aberration scores between participants grouped by years since surgery. DISCUSSION/CONCLUSION: Our data found a significant relationship between long-term dry eye risk after CRLS and preoperative pupil size, flap thickness, and dry eye risk assessment. Similarly the data also displayed a significant association between long-term visual aberration risk after CRLS and greater preoperative cylindrical manifest refraction, flat K, and flap thickness. These findings contribute to the risk factors identified in similar short-term follow-up studies, and support the need for increased research into the risk factors and long-term incidence of dry eyes and visual aberrations after CRLS. While the data showed no significance between participants grouped by years since surgery and reported postoperative symptoms, the OSDI mean scores did approach significance (p = 0.088), suggesting that further research with a greater survey population is required.

Bakgrund: Torra ögon drabbar hundratals miljoner människor över hela världen och är en av de vanligaste orsakerna till att patienter kontaktar ögonsjukvården. Torra ögon uppkommer till följd av ofullständig tårvolym eller tårfunktion som leder till att tårfilmen blir instabil och sjukdomar på ögats yta uppstår. Behandlingen av torra ögon är komplicerad på grund av dess multifaktoriella orsaker. Ögonsjuksköterskan ska ha kompetens att ansvara för omvårdnad och behandling av patienter med ögonsjukdomar och kan genom ett personcentrerat förhållningssätt ha förmåga att med lyhördhet och empati erbjuda stöd och samtal som ger trygghet till patienter och närstående. Ögonsjuksköterskan ska även ha förmåga att identifiera patientens resurser och förmåga till egenvård samt uppmuntra och underlätta för individen. Syfte: Syftet var att beskriva patienters erfarenheter av att ha torra ögon. Metod: Studien utfördes som en systematisk litteraturstudie. Sökningarna genomfördes i databaserna CINAHL och PubMed vilket resulterade i tolv originalartiklar som analyserades utifrån Whittemore och Knafls (2005) metod. Resultat: Dataanalysen har mynnat ut i fem kategorier relaterade till patienters erfarenheter av torra ögon; fysiska symtom, förändrad livskvalitet, psykisk ohälsa och sömnbesvär, erfarenheter av egenvård och behandling samt förhållningssätt till sin sjukdom. Slutsats: Litteraturstudiens resultat visar att erfarenheter av att ha torra ögon är mångfaldiga och påverkar livet på flera olika sätt, såsom minskad arbetsförmåga, oro, depression och förändrad livskvalitet. I dagsläget finns det sparsamt med kvalitativa studier ur patienters perspektiv av att ha torra ögon. Ett behov av mer forskning finns för att lyfta fram patienternas egna tankar och åsikter om sin situation. / Background: Dry eyes affects hundreds of millions of people worldwide and is one of the most common reasons why patients contact eye care. Dry eyes occur due to insufficient tear volume or dysfunctional tear function, leading to instability of the tear film and the development of diseases on the surface of the eye. The treatment of dry eyes is complicated due to its multifactorial causes. Ophthalmic nurses should have the competence to be responsible for the care and treatment of patients with eye diseases and, through a person-centered approach, be able to offer support and conversations with sensitivity and empathy, providing reassurance to patients and relatives. Ophthalmic nurses should also have the ability to identify the patient's resources and capacity for self-care and encourage and facilitate individual efforts. Aim: The aim was to describe patients’ experiences of having dry eyes. Method: The study was conducted as a systematic literature review. The searches were carried out in the databases CINAHL and PubMed, which resulted in twelve original articles that were analysed based on Whittemore and Knafls (2005) method.  Result: The data analysis resulted in five categories related to patients' experiences of dry eyes; physical symptoms, changed quality of life, mental illness and sleep problems, experiences of self-care and treatment and approach to their illness. Conclusion: The results of the literature review show that experiences of having dry eyes are diverse and affect life in several different ways, such as reduced ability to work, anxiety, depression and altered quality of life. Currently, there are few qualitative studies from the patient’s perspective of having dry eyes. There is a need for more research to highlight the patients´ own thoughts and opinions about their situation.