2. Here's HOW it all started  This isn't about "why"... we'll get to that later on. It's just literally about the manner in which it showed up. We're interested in studying patterns of dry eye symptom onset and what they might reveal about us!
Answer Count Percent
20% 40% 60% 80% 100%
Steady rise: It was no big deal in the beginning, but my symptoms gradually increased over time until it really started affecting my life more. 191 39.71%
Low grade, then a dropoff: It was fine and I could deal with it - it was like "background noise". But then it took a major turn for the worse. 83 17.26%
It happened almost overnight: My dry eye symptoms seemed to appear out of a clear blue sky, or had an obvious immediate cause. One day I was fine, the next I wasn't. 141 29.31%
Roller coaster: Ever since the beginning, it's been all about the ups and downs. 48 9.98%
None of these describe me.  18 3.74%
Total 481 100 %