Complex processes drive ocular surface disease

 

Take home message: Ocular surface disease and health are affected by numerous interactions and cascades with complex mechanisms in disease states.

 

By Lynda Charters; Reviewed by James McCulley, MD

Dallas-When it comes to ocular surface health, there are many interactions and cascades. The disease states have complex mechanisms.

 

“There is no simple approach to pathophysiology or treatment in dry eye disease,” said James McCulley, MD, professor and chairman, Department of Ophthalmology, University of Texas Southwestern Medical School, Dallas.

More in this issue: Point-of-care testing may improve accuracy of dry eye diagnosis

“The irony is that the more we learn about this disease, the more we realize how little we truly know,” he added.

Ocular surface disease and health are driven by integrated complex processes with numerous interactions and cascades with complex mechanisms in disease states.

A recent investigation at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical School, Dallas, showed that in patients with chronic blepharitis with associated aqueous deficient dry eyes no bacterial pathogen could be identified.

However, the study did find evidence of bacterial lipolytic exoenzyme activity with a decrease in critical polar lipids with associated excessive aqueous tear evaporation and meibomian gland drop out.

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