Patients With Ocular Neuropathic Pain: Description of Pain and Impact on Their Quality of Life

Patients With Ocular Neuropathic Pain: Description of Pain and Impact on Their Quality of Life

Some patients with dry eye may have severe disabling neuropathic pain. They describe spontaneous pain, dysesthesia, hyperalgesia or even allodynia. It is classical to note an important discordance between the high intensity of the symptoms and the poverty of the clinical signs. These pains are often unrecognized and therefore often not sufficiently treated. A significant impact on patient's quality of life may occur. The concept of ocular neuropathic pain being relatively recent, few studies have focused on the subject at present. Our study aims to shed light on these pains in patients consulting for dry eyes at the Ophthalmological Foundation A. de Rothschild.

The objective of our study is to describe precisely the characteristics of neuropathic eye pain and the visual, general and psychological repercussions in these patients.

Inclusion Criteria:

• Patient aged 18 years or older,
• Presenting at least one of the following symptoms: spontaneous pain, burning sensation in eye, dysesthesia, allodynia, hyperalgesia
• French language-skills

Exclusion Criteria:

• Severe corneal or palpebral damage explaining current pain