Bill Harvey: Dry eye studies

Another week, another development in our understanding of dry eye symptoms. The Brien Holden Vision Institute (BHVI) recently announced further findings from research looking into whether an imbalance or ‘dysbiosis’ of bacteria on the ocular surface contributes to an unstable tear film and thus dry eyes.

The Institute had previously presented a paper at this year’s ARVO showing the results of swab cultures and dry eye symptoms questionnaires for 186 participants with varying degrees of dry eye. Initially, only a weak correlation between dry eye symptoms and the ocular surface bacterial burden had been suggested. A stronger correlation between the bacterial burden and MGD has already been implied by previous studies.