Dry eye syndrome is a painful condition caused by inadequate or altered tear film on the ocular surface. Primary afferent cool cells innervating the cornea regulate the ocular fluid status by increasing reflex tearing in response to evaporative cooling and hyperosmicity. It has been proposed that activation of corneal cool cells via a transient receptor potential melastatin 8 (TRPM8) channel ag...

PURPOSE Dry eye syndrome is one of the most common pathological manifestations in patients with chronic graft-versus-host disease (cGVHD). When dry eye occurs in association with cGVHD, the local inflammation is secondary to the systemic onset of inflammation. Toll-like receptor 2 (TLR2) signaling is thought to be essential for the inflammatory response and for immune disorders. The aim of this...

Diabetes is a disease that affects the body’s ability to produce or use insulin effectively to control blood sugar (glucose) levels. DM is a chronic metabolic disorder usually genetic [1,2]. The global diabetes mellitus evidence predicts that 6.4 % of the world population are affecting 286 million adults in 2010 by 2030 is predicted to increase about 7.6 % affecting about 439 million of adults ...

Previous studies have described elevated lipid peroxidase, myeloperoxidase and xanthine oxidoreductase/xanthine oxidase levels on the ocular surface of patients suffering from autoimmune dry eye (Sjögren's syndrome, SS). Reactive oxygen species generated by various enzymatic systems may be dangerous to the eye if they are not sufficiently cleaved by antioxidants. Because antioxidants have not b...

The pre-ocular tear film is a complex biochemical structure produced by the lacrimal glands and epithelial cells on the ocular surface. Clinical syndromes of ocular irritation may result from deficiencies in one or more of these layers. At a recent dry eye workshop at the National Eye Institute, dry eye conditions were classified into those with adequate aqueous tear production and those with a...

BACKGROUND To examine the associations between vision-targeted health-related quality of life (VT-HRQ) and ocular surface parameters in patients with Sjögren's syndrome, a systemic autoimmune disease characterized by dry eye and dry mouth. METHODS Forty-two patients fulfilling European / American diagnostic criteria for Sjögren's syndrome underwent Schirmer testing without anesthesia, ocular ...

PURPOSE To investigate the effect of hinge width on corneal sensation and dry-eye syndrome after laser in situ keratomileusis (LASIK). SETTING TLC Laser Eye Center, Garden City, New York, USA. METHODS Fifty-four patients at least 18 years of age had bilateral LASIK with a narrow nasal hinge microkeratome flap in 1 eye and a wider nasal hinge microkeratome flap in the other eye. In all eyes,...

PURPOSE To determine new referents, or cutoff levels for tear film hyperosmolarity in the diagnosis of keratoconjunctivitis sicca (KCS) and to assess their effectiveness in independent patient groups. METHOD A meta-analysis was performed on published data for tear osmolarity in samples of normal eyes and various subtypes of dry eye, and pooled estimates of the mean and standard deviations for...