AUSSIE DRY EYE DRUG TARGETING UNMET CLINICAL NEED SEEKS FUNDING Two Australian ophthalmologists are repurposing a common cholesterollowering drug into a topical ocular therapy for dry eye and blepharitis, which was given to a patient as part of an initial trial who went 90 seconds without blinking after treatment.
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ry eye is the most common eye disorder 1 and is frequently accompanied by blepharitis (eyelid inflammation) which has an overall prevalence of nearly 40% (ranging from around 20% in 10–19-year-olds to 70% in those over 60).
People with dry eye and blepharitis have their daily activities disrupted and work productivity lowered2 due to recurrent blurred vision and ocular discomfort and red
eyes from increased tear evaporation. Dry eye may also occur due to damage to the lacrimal gland for example in Sjogren’s syndrome which is associated with a variety of autoimmune conditions. A number of medical as well as ocular conditions, medications, dietary deficiencies and environmental factors can also cause dry eye3. Moderate to severe dry eye damages the ocular surface and can lead to blindness following infection 4. The
1 Albietz JM. Prevalence of dry eye subtypes in clinical optometry practice. Optom Vis Science, 2000. 77(7): p. 357-63. 2 Patel VD, Watanabe JH, Strauss JA, Dubey AT. Work productivity loss in patients with dry eye disease: an online survey. Curr Med Res Opin. 2011 May;27(5):1041-8. 3 Vehof J, Snieder H, Jansonius N, Hammond CJ. Prevalence and risk factors of dry eye in 79,866 participants of the population-based Lifelines cohort study in the Netherlands. Ocul Surf. 2021 Jan;19:83-93 4 Tseng SC. Staging of conjunctival squamous metaplasia by impression cytology. Ophthalmology 1985;(92): p. 728-733.
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