Life Insurance With Dry Eye Syndrome
Most dry eye is exactly what it looks like: uncomfortable, irritating and not a sign of anything.
It is on this list because it is one of the conditions that sometimes points somewhere else, and the somewhere else can be considerably more significant than the eyes.
So the question is whether anybody ever looked.
The short answer
Dry eye is extremely common and frequently has nothing behind it beyond screens, age and contact lenses. But it is also a recognised feature of several other conditions, Sjogren's syndrome and other autoimmune diseases in particular, and a side effect of a number of medications. Whether a cause was ever looked for is the useful question.
What it is
Dry eye syndrome is insufficient or poor quality tear film, producing grittiness, burning, redness, watering and fluctuating vision. It is more common with age, in women, in contact lens wearers, and with prolonged screen use.
It is managed with lubricating drops and gels, lid hygiene, and sometimes prescribed anti-inflammatory drops or plugs placed in the tear ducts. Where it is severe or accompanied by a dry mouth or joint symptoms, it may be investigated for an underlying cause.
Why it comes up on an application
- Most cases have no underlying disease and the honest answer is that nothing was found or nothing was looked for.
- Sjogren's syndrome is the specific association: an autoimmune condition causing dry eyes and dry mouth, often alongside fatigue and joint pain. If you were tested for it, that is a real investigation.
- Other autoimmune conditions including rheumatoid arthritis and thyroid disease feature, and thyroid eye disease is its own thing.
- Several medications cause dry eye, antihistamines, some antidepressants and others among them, so the medication question is relevant.
- Laser eye surgery is a recognised cause, and if yours started after surgery that connection is worth stating.
- Prescribed drops rather than over-the-counter ones indicate a clinician was involved.
What we would ask you
- How long you have had it, and what you use for it
- Whether you also have a dry mouth, joint pain or unusual fatigue
- Whether you have ever had blood tests to look for a cause
- Whether it started after laser eye surgery or a new medication
- Whether anything was ever diagnosed as the cause
- Whether you are currently off work or working reduced hours because of an accident, injury or illness
- Whether you are waiting on any medical tests, appointments or treatment
- Whether you have been diagnosed with or treated for cancer in the last five years
- Whether a parent, brother or sister was diagnosed with cancer, heart disease or a stroke before 65
- Any medication you take
- Whether you smoke, and your date of birth
The Dry Mouth Question Is The Important One
If a form or an adviser asks whether your mouth is dry too, that is not idle curiosity.
Dry eyes together with a dry mouth is the characteristic combination in Sjogren's syndrome, an autoimmune condition which also commonly involves fatigue and joint pain. It is diagnosed with blood tests and sometimes other investigations, and it is a considerably more substantial entry than dry eye alone.
So answer that question properly. If you have both, and particularly if you also have joint pain or unexplained tiredness, say so, and say whether you have ever had blood tests for it. If your eyes are dry and nothing else is, that is a complete and reassuring answer too.
Check Your Medicine Cabinet And Your Surgery Date
Two causes get overlooked because they are not eye problems at all.
A number of common medications reduce tear production, antihistamines and some antidepressants among them. If your dry eye began after starting something, that is a useful connection and the medication is the thing to declare properly.
The other is laser eye surgery, which is a recognised cause of dry eye, sometimes persisting for a long time afterwards. If yours started after the operation, say so, because then your entry is really the surgery and the dryness is its consequence.
Which cover is relevant
The usual starting point. Where an autoimmune cause was found, that condition shapes the picture rather than the dryness.
Pays on diagnosis of a listed serious condition, and dry eye is not one. Worth having for the risks it does cover.
Replaces earnings if illness or injury stops you working. Severe dry eye genuinely affects screen-based work, and any autoimmune cause has its own implications.
Common questions
Do I need to declare dry eye?+
Answer what you are asked. For most people it is minor with nothing behind it, and saying so is complete. What matters more is whether a cause was ever looked for, and what was found.
Why are you asking about my mouth?+
Because dry eyes together with a dry mouth is the characteristic pattern in Sjogren's syndrome, an autoimmune condition that also involves fatigue and joint pain. It is a considerably more substantial entry than dry eye alone.
I had blood tests and nothing was found. Should I say so?+
Yes, and it is useful information. A question about investigations asks whether they happened, and tests that found nothing are reassuring rather than something to omit.
Mine started after laser eye surgery. Does that matter?+
It is worth stating, because dry eye is a recognised consequence of laser surgery and can persist. In that case the surgery is really your entry and the dryness is its consequence.
Could my medication be causing it?+
Several common medicines reduce tear production, including antihistamines and some antidepressants. If your dry eye began after starting something, that connection is worth mentioning, and the medication itself belongs in your answer about what you take.
Cover that often goes with this
The gaps we most often find sitting next to this one.