A study to assess the efficacy of topical cyclosporine A 0.05% in the management of dry eye with meibomiam gland dysfunction

: Dry eye is a multifactorial disease of the tears and ocular surface that results in symptoms of discomfort, visual disturbance, and tear film instability with potential damage to the ocular surface. It is accompanied by increased osmolarity of the tear film and inflammation of the ocular surface. Meibomian Gland Dysfunction (MGD) is an abnormality of the meibomian gland that blocks the secretion of lipids. Without sufficient lipid production, tears evaporate quickly causing Dry Eye.MGD is associated with multiple pathological mechanisms including inflammation, microbial factors and lipid deficiencies. Topical Cyclosporine A (CsA) 0.05% is a calcineurin inhibitor that reduces inflammation by specifically inhibiting T‑cell activity, which reduces ocular surface inflammation and improves tear film dynamics. This was a prospective observational study done on 100 patients at the Department of Ophthalmology Basaveshwar teaching and general hospital, on patients of dry eyes due to meibomian gland dysfunction. Patients who were diagnosed with dry eyes due to meibomian gland dysfunction were invited to take part in the study. Patients were divided randomly into two groups of 50 patients each. This study, was explained in detail to them. An informed consent was obtained. Patients fulfilling the inclusion criteria were listed.All OSDI scores (symptom intensity, frequency and aggravation) revealed decreasing patterns throughout the observation period in both the groups. In single analysis, the cyclosporine A 0.05% group showed a significant improvement for each score at 3 months (p < 0.01, p = 0.01, p = 0.02, respectively). The mean TBUT after treatment in the group A (cyclosporine A group) increased to 12.36± 3.58(p<0.001) seconds, and in the group B (Control group) the TBUT score increased to 11.01±3.06 seconds. After 3 Months, there was statistically significant improvement in the mean Schirmer’s scores in both the treatment groups, however improvement was significantly greater in Cyclosporine A group. Prior to the treatment in group A (Cyclosporine A) mean Lissamine staining score was 2.73±0.15 and post treatment it reduced to 1.32±0.15 which was statistically significant (P<0.001). In group B (Control group) score before treatment was 2.46±0.15 and after treatment it reduced to 2.39±0.27 (p=0.11), not much difference was seen. : Findings from our study showed that there were significant improvements in the dry eye conditions due to defect in meibomian gland by treatment of topical Cyclosporine A 0.05% and sodium hyaluronate 0.1%.

Changes in symptoms of dry eyes in health professionals with increased duration of wearing the mask

: In normal population and patient, the significant increase in dry eyes manifestations have been observed. Similarly, aggravated symptoms and complaints of dryness have also been observed in clinical and hospital staff by using a face mask for an extended time period. The purpose of the study was to observe the association between symptoms of dry eyes and the duration of using masks in health professionals.: An unspecified questionnaire was distributed using Google Forms through different social media platforms, asking each respondent to contribute to the survey. Data were collected from December 2021 to January 2021. Statistical analysis was performed using SPSS software. Statistical significance was considered if p-value was less than 0.05. A total of 39 responses was included for analysis in the study. There was a positive correlation between the frequency of the symptoms of dryness and the duration of using the mask. Similarly, the severity of the symptoms for dry eyes was strongly correlated with an increase in the frequency of symptoms for dry eyes.The finding reflects that the frequency of the dryness along with the severity will increase with the increase in the duration of wearing a mask. Moreover, it also suggests that cloth mask is the probable predisposing factor for the increase in the dry eye symptoms in this study.

An unusual presentation of thymoma: dysgeusia, ulcerative colitis, keratoconjunctivitis sicca, autoimmune retinopathy and myasthenia gravis

A 41-year-old female presented with dysgeusia, dry eyes, nyctalopia with progressive visual field constriction (due to autoimmune retinopathy) and gastrointestinal symptoms (due to ulcerative colitis). She was subsequently admitted to intensive care with a myasthenic crisis, and CT of the thorax demonstrated a thymoma.Following thymectomy and adjuvant radiotherapy, she has remained in complete remission from her ulcerative colitis and myasthenia gravis, her retinopathy has stabilised and there has been no thymoma recurrence over a 10-year postoperative period. There was a brief relapse of her dysgeusia (causing weight loss) and dry eye symptoms 3 years after her surgery, which resolved 8 months later. While the association of thymomas with paraneoplastic syndromes (PNS) is well established, it is unusual to present with multiple PNS, and some of these have only been documented in sparse case reports to date. Thymectomy played a crucial role in improvement and stabilisation of her PNS.

Allgrove syndrome with amyotrophy

Allgrove syndrome is an autosomal recessive disease mostly caused by mutations in the AAAS gene. It has variable clinical features but its cardinal features comprise the triad of achalasia, alacrimia and adrenal insufficiency. It typically develops during the first decade of life, but some cases have second and third decades onset. We describe a 25-year-old woman with Allgrove syndrome who had progressive amyotrophy, achalasia, dry eyes and adrenal insufficiency since childhood. Awareness of its neurological manifestations and multisystem features helps to shorten the time for diagnosis and allow appropriate symptomatic treatment.

Sweet Potato Leaves Contain Beta Carotene and Lutein for Eye Health

This article discusses the benefits of sweet potato leaves containing beta carotene and lutein for eye health. There are some problems of eyes namely Conjunctivitis, Dry Eyes , Cataract, Glaucoma and Refractive errors (blurred vision). Treatment options include surgery, including laser and traditional eye surgery. Sweet potatoes are high in beta-carotene and anthocyanins, which are powerful antioxidants that can help prevent eyesight loss and support eye health. Beta carotene (provitamin A) and vitamin C are plentiful in yellow sweet potato. The beta carotene and lutein content is beneficial for eye health.

Lifitegrast Ophthalmic Solution – A Review

Introduction: In this review article the safety and efficacy of of Lifitegrast™ in the management of dry eye disease is described. Methods: Search was carried out using related search terms in data bases like pubmed and related articles were referred. Result: A larger reduction in Eye dryness Score (EDS) was seen with Lifitegrast™. Conclusion: Lifitegrast™ ophthalmic solution 5% provides a new option for the treatment of dry eyes.

Pyroptosis: A New Insight Into Eye Disease Therapy

Pyroptosis is a lytic form of programmed cell death mediated by gasdermins (GSDMs) with pore-forming activity in response to certain exogenous and endogenous stimuli. The inflammasomes are intracellular multiprotein complexes consisting of pattern recognition receptors, an adaptor protein ASC (apoptosis speck-like protein), and caspase-1 and cause autocatalytic activation of caspase-1, which cleaves gasdermin D (GSDMD), inducing pyroptosis accompanied by cytokine release. In recent years, the pathogenic roles of inflammasomes and pyroptosis in multiple eye diseases, including keratitis, dry eyes, cataracts, glaucoma, uveitis, age-related macular degeneration, and diabetic retinopathy, have been continuously confirmed. Inhibiting inflammasome activation and abnormal pyroptosis in eyes generally attenuates inflammation and benefits prognosis. Therefore, insight into the pathogenesis underlying pyroptosis and inflammasome development in various types of eye diseases may provide new therapeutic strategies for ocular disorders. Inhibitors of pyroptosis, such as NLRP3, caspase-1, and GSDMD inhibitors, have been proven to be effective in many eye diseases. The purpose of this article is to illuminate the mechanism underlying inflammasome activation and pyroptosis and emphasize its crucial role in various ocular disorders. In addition, we review the application of pyroptosis modulators in eye diseases.

Salivary Biomarkers in Patients with Sjögren’s Syndrome—A Systematic Review

Sjögren’s syndrome (SS) is a chronic autoimmune disease characterized by dry mouth and dry eyes, with lymphocytic infiltration of the exocrine glands. Saliva is becoming a useful tool to determine the clinical and pathological characteristics of SS because the collection method is easy and non-invasive. Since 1900, salivary proteomic analysis has been performed continuously using a variety of optimized analytical methods. Many studies have identified distinct characteristics of salivary proteins in patients with primary SS, and the changes were related to chronic inflammation and overproduction of immunoglobulins or downregulated secretory function. Several proteomic studies using whole or parotid saliva have evaluated whether several salivary proteins can be used to discriminate SS, including salivary β2-microglobulin, calprotectin, carbonic anhydrase VI, neutrophil gelatinase-associated lipocalin, sialic acid-binding immunoglobulin-like lectin-5, and tripartite motif-containing protein 29. In addition, salivary proinflammatory cytokine levels have been reported to be increased in patients with SS. Although these candidate salivary proteins have exhibited considerable differences in patients with SS, more data are needed to confirm their role as biomarkers. Moreover, the identification of salivary characteristics that can accurately reflect disease activity, predict treatment response and prognosis, and diagnose SS is anticipated.