Innovation: fighting dry eye

Are your clients complaining of dry eye? This pathology, which affects nearly 10% of the French population, including two thirds of women, is a cause of visual discomfort very common and may even, in some cases, disrupt the vision of those affected. Panorama of new solutions, in order to better advise your customers.

What is dry eye?

In normal times, eyes are constantly covered with tears. Dry eye is when the quantity and / or quality of the tears produced by an individual are insufficient. He will have the feeling of having dry eyes . What is more problematic is that this pathology deprives people with the protective film and the nourishing action that normally constitutes this thin layer of tears. They are more likely than visual discomfort (tingling, sensitivity to light or smoke, feeling of eyelids stuck, etc.), to be irritated to the cornea and even to eye infections .

The causes of dry eye are numerous. The first of these is aging , since 15% of people with this pathology are over 60 years old. Indeed, with age, the production of lacrimal glands decreases. But there are many other factors that can be taken into account, such as the environment (pollution, air conditioning), the use of drugs or toxic substances, certain operations of eye surgery, or certain diseases (psoriasis, rosacea, viral infections, etc.)

Please note: dry eyes are not always synonymous with dry eyes . It may be related, for example, to blue light screens or exposure of the eyes to irritating products. In this case, it is only temporary!

3 new solutions to dry eye

In addition to some basic preventive reflexes like lowering of air conditioning or heating, maintaining a distance of at least 50 cm in front of a screen, some exercises to improve the quality of the tear film and the use of eye drops classic scientific research regularly develops innovative solutions to combat dry eye . We detail you three.

• Ciclosporin: today there is an eye drop containing ciclosporin . A substance that would directly attack inflammation, caused by dry eye . Be careful though, since this product has been ranked, this year, in the blacklist of drugs more dangerous than useful in cases of severe keratitis by Prescrire magazine.
• Pulsed light "cold": the French E-Swin , manufacturer of pulsed light technologies, proposed in 2015 this new treatment, which promises to treat dry eye in several sessions. The technique would still be in the process of experimentation.
• Meibomius gland massage: TearScience has developed a device, called LipiFlow , that massages and stimulates these glands, which is the origin of the meibum, a fatty substance that moistens the eyelids. and therefore, avoid dry eye.

No doubt that new solutions will emerge in the coming years!