According to a recent study, vitiligo, a condition in which a patient’s skin loses its pigment cells, is associated with tear hyperosmolarity and tear film dysfunction.¹ Further, the study revealed that those with a combination of vitiligo and periocular involvement may be more prone to dry eye than those without ocular involvement.

Researchers evaluated 25 patients with vitiligo and periocular involvement, 30 patients with vitiligo and no periocular involvement and 20 control patients using the Ocular Surface Disease Index (OSDI) questionnaire, Schirmer I test, tear film break-up time, ocular surface fluorescein staining scoring with a modified version of the Oxford scale and tear osmolarity.

Results showed significantly higher scores on the OSDI and significantly higher tear film break-up time measurements for the vitiligo groups than the control group. Additionally, patients with vitiligo and periocular involvement showed the highest scores of the study for these tests, leading researchers to believe they may be more prone to dry eye than those with vitiligo but no periocular involvement.