Dry eye is a common condition that affects many individuals, and it can be caused by a variety of factors, such as gland health, age, medical conditions, post surgery complications, hormonal changes, environmental factors, and certain medications. If you're experiencing symptoms of dry eye, it's important to schedule an appointment with your optometrist to determine the underlying cause and receive proper treatment.

During your visit, our optometrist may administer a dry eye quiz to assess the severity of your symptoms and develop a personalized treatment plan. In this blog post, we'll take a closer look at the dry eye quiz and what to expect when taking it. 

The SPEED Dry Eye Quiz

Our optometrist, Dr. Babakhan from Amplify EyeCare Santa Clarita provides an example of the dry eye quiz used in her office. The quiz consists of a series of questions that are designed to assess the frequency and severity of your dry eye symptoms.

We use the quiz called the SPEED dry eye questionnaire.  There are two commonly used questionnaires to assess symptoms of Dry Eye. The Ocular Surface Disease Index (OSDI) is a 12-item questionnaire that assesses dry eye symptoms and their effects on vision-related function over the past week. It has demonstrated good specificity and moderate sensitivity in distinguishing between patients with dry eye disease and normal subjects. However, it may not accurately assess all dry eye symptoms, such as tearing and foreign body sensation. On the other hand, the Standard Patient Evaluation of Eye Dryness (SPEED) questionnaire assesses frequency and severity of symptoms, including dryness, grittiness, and irritation, and can track symptom changes over time. It has high sensitivity and specificity in segregating patients based on their symptoms compared to the OSDI questionnaire. Both questionnaires can provide valuable insights into a patient's experience with dry eye and help clinicians make appropriate treatment decisions.

Take our dry eye questionnaire online 

For a full in depth analysis of different dry eye questionnaires, see this page by the American Academy of Ophthalmology. 

Report the frequency of your symptoms by checking the boxes

This question asks you to report the frequency of your symptoms, such as dryness, scratches, soreness, irritation, burning, watering, and eye fatigue. You'll be asked to choose from zero to three, with zero being never and three being constant. The severity of your symptoms will be taken into consideration when developing a treatment plan.

Report the severity of your symptoms using the rating list below

This question asks you to rate the severity of your symptoms, such as dryness, scratchiness, soreness, irritation, burning, watering, and eye fatigue. You'll be asked to choose from zero to four, with zero being not problematic and intolerable and four being severe.

Please check if you have experienced any of the above symptoms

This question asks you to check the symptoms that you've experienced, and you'll be given three options: today, within the last three days, or within the past three months. This information is important because it can help our optometrist determine the cause of your symptoms and develop an appropriate treatment plan.

Do you use eye drops for lubrication?

This question asks whether you're using eye drops for lubrication and, if so, what type of eye drops you're using. It's important to note that not all eye drops are created equal, and some may actually worsen your symptoms. We will want to know which eye drops you're using so we can make recommendations for the best type of eye drops for your particular condition.

Do you have fluctuating vision?

This question asks whether you experience fluctuating vision, such as clear vision after blinking that becomes blurry afterward. This symptom is often associated with unstable tear film on the surface of the eye and can be a sign of dry eye.

Have you been told you have blepharitis?

Blepharitis is a condition that involves inflammation of the eyelids, and it can cause symptoms such as redness, crusting, and itching. If you've been diagnosed with blepharitis in the past, we will want to know whether you're currently experiencing any of these symptoms.

Why Take the Dry Eye Quiz?

Taking the dry eye quiz is an important step in assessing the severity of your symptoms and developing an appropriate treatment plan. By answering these questions, we can gain valuable insight into the underlying cause of your dry eye and make recommendations for treatment options that may include prescription eye drops, dietary changes, or lifestyle modifications.

Take Our Online Dry Eye Assessment

Take our dry eye assessment to see if your symptoms indicate that you are suffering from treatable dry eye disease.