Highlight
– Patients with chronic pain conditions (CPCs) have a notably higher risk of developing incident dry eye disease (DED) over a 3-year follow-up.
– CPCs are associated with increased incidence of prescription-requiring DED, indicating more severe or symptomatic cases.
– Large-scale retrospective cohort analysis demonstrates a robust independent association validated in a secondary cohort.
– Findings support considering CPCs as significant risk factors for DED in clinical evaluation and management strategies.
