Analysis of the Association between Galectin-3 Concentration in Tears and the Severity of Dry Eye Disease: A Case-Control Study

This study aimed to investigate the relationship between the severity of dry eye disease (DED) and galectin-3 concentration (gal-3) and its cleavage (gal-3C) in tear fluid. Twenty-eight DED patients and 14 controls were recruited at Keio University Hospital. The lissamine green conjunctival staining (LG) score, fluorescein corneal staining (FL) score, tear film break-up time (TBUT), Schirmer’s test, and ocular symptoms questionnaire score (dry eye questionnaire score, DEQS) were evaluated. Furthermore, the correlation between these parameters and the concentrations of gal-3 in tears (ng/µg) and the detection rate of gal-3C (%) were analyzed. Gal-3 concentration in tears was positively correlated with the LG score (R = 0.60, p < 0.01), FL score (R = 0.49, p < 0.01), and DEQS (R = 0.45, p < 0.01), and negatively correlated with the TBUT score (R = −0.40, p < 0.01) and Schirmer’s I value (R = −0.36, p < 0.01). The detection rate of gal-3C in tears was significantly associated with the severity of DED, especially with the LG (p < 0.01) and FL (p < 0.01) scores. Therefore, the concentration of gal-3 and the detection rate of gal-3C in tears had a significant relationship with the severity of ocular surface barrier disruption.

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Review of the Literature on Existing Management of Dry Eye Disease

Journal of Pharmaceutical Research International ◽

10.9734/jpri/2021/v33i60a34561 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. 878-884

Author(s):

Isha Chandrakar ◽

Shruti Sanghavi

Keyword(s):

Dry Eye ◽

Contact Lenses ◽

Antibacterial Properties ◽

Tear Film ◽

Severe Case ◽

Dry Eye Disease ◽

Eye Disease ◽

Lacrimal Glands ◽

Ocular Symptoms ◽

Meibomian Glands

Dry eye disease (DED) is a multifactorial disease in which the tear film’s homeostasis is lost, along with other ocular symptoms such as tear film instability and high osmolarity, neurosensory abnormalities, and ocular surface inflammation and damage. DED is a condition of lacrimal apparatus which is responsible for tear production. The tear film is a mixture of mucin, aqueous (water and solutes like NacI, sugar, urea, proteins,), lipids secreted by goblet cells, lacrimal glands, and meibomian glands, respectively. It keeps the eye moist, provides oxygen to the cornea, and has antibacterial properties. The lipid layer prevents the evaporation of the aqueous. DED is categorized into (i)Aqueous-tear deficiency, characterized by a deficiency of lacrimal glands to secrete tears, (ii)Evaporative DED, associated with increased tear loss by evaporation because there is a deficiency of the meibomian glands. The mechanism of DED might be loss of tear through evaporation or insufficient aqueous production or a combination of the two. DED is a widespread eye problem, which is often left untreated. It causes irritation, itching, dryness, foreign body sensation, and discomfort; severe case causes conjunctival congestion, keratinization, erosion of the corneal epithelium, and plaque formation. If left Univision- threatening vision-threatening, leading to complications like corneal ulceration and perforation. Various clinical tests are used to diose DED, including tear breakup time, tear osmolarity, Schirmer test, Rose Bengal staining, and expression of inflammatory markers. There is no cure for DED at present. The following modalities are used for its treatment: use of punctual and canalicular plugs, artificial tear products like polyethylene glycol/propylene glycol with guar HP, consuming food rich in omega-three fatty acids, antioxidants zeaxanthin, and lutein, Use of anti-inflammatory drugs, mucolytics, secretagogues. Reducing or avoiding mild risk factors like prolonged reading, prolonged use of contact lenses, excessive screen time, etc. Treatment of causative disease. Appropriate management and establishing reasonable patient expectations are necessary to ensure patient satisfaction and adherence to the treatment.

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Tear Proteomics Study of Dry Eye Disease: Which Eye Do You Adopt as the Representative Eye for the Study?

International Journal of Molecular Sciences ◽

10.3390/ijms22010422 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 22 (1) ◽

pp. 422

Author(s):

Ming-Tse Kuo ◽

Po-Chiung Fang ◽

Shu-Fang Kuo ◽

Alexander Chen ◽

Yu-Ting Huang

Keyword(s):

Dry Eye ◽

Ocular Surface ◽

Tear Film ◽

Dry Eye Disease ◽

Eye Disease ◽

Mechanistic Studies ◽

Clinical Tests ◽

Tear Proteins ◽

Proteomic Data ◽

Surface Performance

Most studies about dry eye disease (DED) chose unilateral eye for investigation and drew conclusions based on monocular results, whereas most studies involving tear proteomics were based on the results of pooling tears from a group of DED patients. Patients with DED were consecutively enrolled for binocular clinical tests, tear biochemical markers of DED, and tear proteome. We found that bilateral eyes of DED patients may have similar but different ocular surface performance and tear proteome. Most ocular surface homeostatic markers and tear biomarkers were not significantly different in the bilateral eyes of DED subjects, and most clinical parameters and tear biomarkers were correlated significantly between bilateral eyes. However, discrepant binocular presentation in the markers of ocular surface homeostasis and the associations with tear proteins suggested that one eye’s performance cannot represent that of the other eye or both eyes. Therefore, in studies for elucidating tear film homeostasis of DED, we may lose some important messages hidden in the fellow eye if we collected clinical and proteomic data only from a unilateral eye. For mechanistic studies, it is recommended that researchers collect tear samples from the eye with more severe DED under sensitive criteria for identifying the more severe eye and evaluating the tear biochemical and proteomic markers with binocular concordance drawn in prior binocular studies.

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A distinct cytokines profile in tear film of dry eye disease (DED) patients with HIV infection

Cytokine ◽

10.1016/j.cyto.2016.08.026 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 88 ◽

pp. 77-84 ◽

Cited By ~ 12

Author(s):

Rupesh Agrawal ◽

Praveen Kumar Balne ◽

Anuradha Veerappan ◽

Veonice Bijin Au ◽

Bernett Lee ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Hiv Infection ◽

Dry Eye ◽

Tear Film ◽

Dry Eye Disease ◽

Eye Disease

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Cationic Thiolated Poly(aspartamide) Polymer as a Potential Excipient for Artificial Tear Formulations

Journal of Ophthalmology ◽

10.1155/2016/2647264 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 2016 ◽

pp. 1-8 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Mária Budai-Szűcs ◽

Gabriella Horvát ◽

Barnabás Áron Szilágyi ◽

Benjámin Gyarmati ◽

András Szilágyi ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Dry Eye ◽

Tear Film ◽

Dry Eye Disease ◽

Eye Disease ◽

Eye Drops ◽

Thiol Groups ◽

Physiological Properties ◽

Disulphide Bond Formation ◽

Polymer Bearing

Dry eye disease is a relatively common ocular problem, which causes eye discomfort and visual disorders leading to a decrease in the quality of life. The aim of this study was to find a possible excipient for eye drop formulations, which is able to stabilize the tear film. A cationic thiolated polyaspartamide polymer, poly[(N-mercaptoethylaspartamide)-co-(N-(N′,N′-dimethylaminoethyl)aspartamide)] (ThioPASP-DME), was used as a potential vehicle. Besides satisfying the basic requirements, the chemical structure of ThioPASP-DME is similar to those of ocular mucins as it is a protein-like polymer bearing a considerable number of thiol groups. The solution of the polymer is therefore able to mimic the physiological properties of the mucins and it can interact with the mucus layer via disulphide bond formation. The resultant mucoadhesion provides a prolonged residence time and ensures protective effect for the corneal/conjunctival epithelium. ThioPASP-DME also has an antioxidant effect due to the presence of the thiol groups. The applicability of ThioPASP-DME as a potential excipient in eye drops was determined by means of ocular compatibility tests and through examinations of the interactions with the mucosal surface. The results indicate that ThioPASP-DME can serve as a potential eye drop excipient for the therapy of dry eye disease.

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Tear film osmolarity and dry eye disease: a review of the literature

Clinical Ophthalmology ◽

10.2147/opth.s95242 ◽

2015 ◽

pp. 2039 ◽

Cited By ~ 49

Author(s):

Richard Potvin ◽

Sarah Makari ◽

Christopher Rapuano

Keyword(s):

Dry Eye ◽

Tear Film ◽

Dry Eye Disease ◽

Eye Disease ◽

Review Of The Literature

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Evaluation of Objective Signs and Subjective Symptoms of Dry Eye Disease in Patients with Inflammatory Bowel Disease

BioMed Research International ◽

10.1155/2019/8310583 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 2019 ◽

pp. 1-9 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Zsolt Barta ◽

Levente Czompa ◽

Aniko Rentka ◽

Eva Zold ◽

Judit Remenyik ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Inflammatory Bowel Disease ◽

Dry Eye ◽

Bowel Disease ◽

Clinical Signs ◽

Tear Film ◽

Dry Eye Disease ◽

Eye Disease ◽

Subjective Symptoms ◽

Ocular Surface Disease Index ◽

Inflammatory Bowel

Aim. To evaluate tear film parameters and relationship of objective clinical signs and subjective symptoms of dry eye disease (DED) in inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) subgroups. Methods. 39 patients with Crohn’s disease (CD), 26 patients with ulcerative colitis (UC), and 39 control persons with no ocular symptoms or surface disorders were included in this prospective, case-control, and cross-sectional study. The ocular surface disease index (OSDI) questionnaire was applied to evaluate dry eye symptoms, and objective tests of DED were performed on both eyes of each subject. Results. The average of OSDI scores was 30.59 (±16.68) in CD patients, 24.67 (±23.48) in UC patients, and 11.19 (±5.8) in controls. Except for tear film breakup time (tBUT) and Schirmer-I values other objective parameters were better in UC patients, than in CD patients. CD patients rather than UC patients tend to develop DED. This was associated with immunosuppressant and TNF-α inhibitor use. Conclusions. Clinicians must be aware of the spectrum of DED involvement in IBD and suggest using artificial tears in order to decrease severity of ocular complications.

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Normalized ocular surface temperature models for tear film characteristics and dry eye disease evaluation

The Ocular Surface ◽

10.1016/j.jtos.2020.04.002 ◽

2020 ◽

Author(s):

Tai-Yuan Su ◽

Shu-Wen Chang

Keyword(s):

Surface Temperature ◽

Dry Eye ◽

Ocular Surface ◽

Tear Film ◽

Dry Eye Disease ◽

Eye Disease ◽

Film Characteristics

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The Association between Tear Film Thickness as Measured with OCT and Symptoms and Signs of Dry Eye Disease: A Pooled Analysis of 6 Clinical Trials

Journal of Clinical Medicine ◽

10.3390/jcm9113791 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 9 (11) ◽

pp. 3791

Author(s):

Gerhard Garhöfer ◽

Valentin Aranha Dos Santos ◽

Hannes Stegmann ◽

Doreen Schmidl ◽

Narine Adzhemian ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Clinical Trials ◽

Film Thickness ◽

Dry Eye ◽

Tear Film ◽

Pooled Analysis ◽

Dry Eye Disease ◽

Eye Disease ◽

Break Up ◽

Symptoms And Signs ◽

Schirmer I Test

Purpose: To determine the association between tear film thickness (TFT) as measured with ultra-high resolution optical coherence tomography (UHR-OCT) and signs and symptoms of dry eye disease (DED). Methods: A total of 450 eyes from 225 patients with DED from six different randomized clinical trials were included in this pooled analysis. In all subjects, TFT was measured with a custom-built UHR-OCT system. Symptoms of DED were quantified using a standardized Ocular Surface Disease Index (OSD)I questionnaire and clinical signs including tear film break up time (TFBUT) and Schirmer I test were assessed. Associations of the average TFT with OSDI, TFBUT, and Schirmer I test were calculated using a linear regression analysis. Results: The average TFT of the included sample (mean age, 45.0 ± 13.3 years; 65% female) was 4.2 ± 0.5 µm and the OSDI 36.2 ± 10.4. A significant negative correlation was found between TFT and OSDI (r = −0.36 to −0.31; p < 0.001). Tear break up time and Schirmer I test were not correlated with OSDI. Significant albeit weak correlations were found between TFT and TFBUT (r = 0.17 to 0.25; p < 0.01) as well as Schirmer I (r = 0.36 to 0.37; p < 0.001). Subgroup analysis revealed that the correlation was stronger in the subjects with abnormal Schirmer I (<15 mm; r = 0.50 to 0.54; p < 0.001). Conclusions: The present study demonstrates an objective measurement of TFT using a novel OCT approach for DED that correlates with symptoms and signs of DED. Our data are consistent with the idea that TFT represents the aqueous-deficient component of DED.

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