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NEI highlights advancements for Dry Eye Awareness Month
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Recent advancements in dry eye disease research are leading to developments in long-term therapies, according to the National Eye Institute, which is highlighting those achievements in recognition of July as Dry Eye Awareness Month.
Recent research funded by the NEI points to multiple factors that contribute to the disease.
“Scientists are discovering how the tear film that coats the eye maintains homeostasis, or equilibrium, of its three main layers,” NEI corneal diseases program director George McKie, DVM, PhD, said in a press release.
Therapies for dry eye currently include products that address the symptoms of the disease, such as steroids, antibiotics and artificial tears, but not the underlying causes.
The NEI has been working to develop treatments that will do just that; for example, a synthetic form of lacritin, a protein that stimulates basal tear production that was identified through NEI funded research, is currently undergoing clinical trials for use in patients with Sjögren’s syndrome, according to the release.
In addition, research is being conducted at Weill Cornell Medical College in New York exploring what factors influence corneal nerves’ ability to sense basal tear evaporation, and at Stanford University, a team has created an implantable device that produces tears by electrically stimulating the lacrimal gland, the release said.
The NEI is also funding studies to define the molecular composition of the tear lipid layer and to evaluate stem cell therapy to repair the lacrimal glands, as well as an investigation into the role of oral omega-3 fatty acids in dry eye disease.