Finding a Personalized Solution for Dry Eye

According to the American Academy of Ophthalmology (AAO), approximately 20 million Americans, and nearly 350 million people worldwide, suffer from inadequate lubrication of the eye, or dry eye disease.

Many factors can contribute to dry eye. It is a frequent medication side effect, a comorbidity of some systemic diseases and, most commonly, simply a consequence of growing older. It is mildly uncomfortable for some patients, excruciating for others. Yet despite diminishing the quality of life of so many, dry eye remains, as EyeNet® magazine states, “notoriously underappreciated, misdiagnosed, and undertreated.”

In the Cornea Clinic at Kellogg, improving the lives of patients with dry eye disease is a top priority. Patients are frequently referred to Kellogg when the established first-line treatment—lubricating eye drops—falls short. Patients with the most complex, hard-to-manage conditions are often seen by dry eye specialist Roni Shtein, M.D., M.S.

“Ocular surface dryness is at its most acute when it is associated with ocular surface damage or scarring, when it is accompanied by visual abnormalities or diminished vision, or when it occurs with a component of centralized pain,” Dr. Shtein explains. “We offer multiple treatment options for patients with any combination of these severe symptoms.”

Some Innovative Treatment Modalities Offered:

Serum tears — Eye drops made from the serum of a patient’s own blood contain growth factors and nutrients shown to be effective in decreasing symptom severity. Kellogg has developed the protocols used by a U-M blood draw station and a local compounding pharmacy to formulate these ‘customized tears.’ A mail order option through an outside vendor is available to patients out of the area.

Scleral contact lenses — Contact lenses scaled to fit over the white of the eye can keep moisture in and cushion the surface of the eye. Kellogg also offers the Prosthetic Rehabilitation of the Ocular Surface Ecosystem (PROSE), a customized scleral lens that bathes the eye with artificial tears.

Intense pulsed light treatment (IPL) — For dry eye caused by meibomian gland dysfunction, IPL treatment to the eyelids can reduce inflammation and improve meibomian gland function.

Research — The cornea specialists at Kellogg are also involved in research to improve treatment of dry eye or chronic symptoms. For example, Kellogg is currently recruiting patients as part of a multi-center clinical trial of an eye drop for treating chronic eye pain or dry eye-like symptoms in a post-surgical population. The eventual goal of the treatment will be to treat patients with chronic pain/symptoms, regardless of the underlying ocular conditions.