Top dry eye disease stories of 2024: Sleep quality, supplement options

This year, several of our top stories on dry eye disease focused on sleep quality and treatment options, including supplements designed to reduce symptoms.

Another treatment option that made news early this year was Vevye (cyclosporine ophthalmic solution 0.1%, Harrow), which demonstrated high tolerability and rapid onset of relief.

Read below for summaries of these news stories and more.

Patients with dry eye have poorer sleep quality, higher risk for unhealthy sleep duration

Patients with dry eye disease have worse sleep quality and may be at greater risk for unhealthy sleep duration, although a causal relationship between dry eye and sleep disorder has not been established, according to a meta-analysis.

“Sleep is an essential physiological process for life, accounting for approximately one-third of human daily activities,” Yixuan Gu and colleagues at the Beijing Institute of Ophthalmology wrote in BMC Ophthalmology. “In recent years, bad sleep quality, including sleep disorder, insomnia, circadian rhythm disorders and excessive sleep, have become a persistent global social issue.” Read more.

Dry eye symptoms, ocular pain intensity associated with sleep disturbances

Symptoms of dry eye disease were more closely related to sleep disturbances than exam findings, although inflammation and meibum quality were linked to subjective sleep quality, according to a study in BMJ Open Ophthalmology.

“We found that ocular symptom severity, captured both with [dry eye] and pain questionnaires, was related to all components of sleep quality, except for the use of sleep medication,” researchers at the University of Miami and Bruce W. Carter Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center wrote. Read more.

Omega-3 supplement fails to improve dry eye symptoms linked to MGD

Re-esterified triglyceride omega-3 fatty acid supplementation did not improve symptoms of dry eye disease associated with meibomian gland dysfunction in a small cohort of patients, according to research published in JAMA Ophthalmology.

“Omega-3 fatty acids are strong lipid mediators that play a crucial role in inflammatory regulation by controlling the arachidonic acid pathway and prostaglandin metabolism,” Youngsub Eom, MD, PhD, from the department of ophthalmology at Korea University College of Medicine, and colleagues wrote. “Omega-3 fatty acid supplementation changes the fatty acid composition of meibum and promotes [meibomian gland] secretion.” Read more.

Bausch + Lomb announces US launch of Blink NutriTears supplement for dry eye

Bausch + Lomb has launched Blink NutriTears, an over-the-counter supplement designed to target the root causes of dry eye disease and promote healthy tear production, the company announced in a press release.

“I’ve often used the analogy of having a toolbox for dry eye treatment, and I believe that supplements are tools that deserve much more attention,” Neda Gioia, OD, CNS, founder of Integrative Vision and Blink NutriTears clinical study investigator, told Healio. “Blink NutriTears is backed by scientific evidence to help address dry eye in a primary eye care setting. It’s crucial to integrate nutraceuticals into our treatment plan and expand our understanding of what effective nutraceutical solutions should look like.” Read more.

Vevye now available in US for treatment of dry eye disease

Vevye, a preservative-free, twice-daily 0.1% cyclosporine ophthalmic solution indicated for treatment of signs and symptoms of dry eye disease, is now available in the U.S., according to a manufacturer press release.

“We are excited to see Vevye’s exceptional clinical trial data come to life as U.S. dry eye disease patients are now able to access and experience a highly tolerable product that provides rapid onset of relief and sustained improvement of both signs and symptoms of dry eye disease,” Mark L. Baum, chairman and CEO at Harrow, said in the release. Read more.

Use tear breakup pattern to determine type of dry eye, treatment

The pattern of fluorescein staining indicates the tear film layer affected by dry eye and, thus, dictates the treatment choice, Milton M. Hom, OD, FAAO, said at Vision Expo West.

“Tear film breakup time looks at the pattern of the breakup,” Hom, who practices at Canyon City Eyecare in Azusa, California, said. “The pattern can indicate the layer that’s affected. Line break means aqueous deficient, spot break means mucin deficient, dimple break means mucin deficient and random means evaporative.” Read more.