Dry Eye Questionnaire of Bandeen-Roche et al

Questionnaire
A validated six item questionnaire of ocular symptoms relating to dry eye was used which
included the following questions :
(1) Do your eyes ever feel dry?
(2) Do you ever feel a gritty or sandy sensation in your eye?
(3) Do your eyes ever have a burning sensation?
(4) Are your eyes ever red?
(5) Do you notice much crusting on your lashes? and
(6) Do your eyes ever get stuck shut (in the morning)?

Documentation:
Bandeen-Roche et al used a simple questionnaire to screen elderly patients for
symptoms of dry eye. The responses tended to segregate patients into one of 4 groups. The
authors are associated with the Wilmer Eye Institute in Baltimore.
The instrument consists of 6 questions related to dry eyes (gritty sensation, burning, etc).
Responses:
(1) never
(2) rarely
(3) sometimes
(4) often
(5) all of the time
Definition of positive vs negative for symptom:
(1) Definition 1 for positive: responses of sometimes, often or all of the time; else negative
(2) Definition 2 for positive: responses of often or all of the time; else negative
Groups recognized with Definition 1:
(1) no symptoms "positive"
(2) 1 or 2 symptoms "positive", usually including eyes feeling gritty

(3) 2 or more symptoms "positive", predominantly eyes burning and with little crusting,
typically associated with insufficient tear flow
(4) 2 or more symptoms "positive", predominantly lashes crusting, typically associated with
blepharitis
References:
Bandeen-Roche K, Munoz B, et al. Self-reported assessment of dry eye in a population-based
setting. Investigative Ophthalmology & Visual Science. 1997; 38: 2469-2475.
http://www.meducator3.net/algorithms/content/dry-eye-questionnaire-bandeenroche-et-al