EYE FOCUS | NEWS undoubtedly speed up the development and progress of this therapeutic antibody , called InflaMab .
“ I ' m also delighted to be working on this project with Mass Eye and Ear as we are long-standing collaborators and their research compliments ours perfectly . They have developed novel glaucoma models which we have then used to successfully test the innovative therapeutic we developed , which is used to penetrate the eye cells to reduce inflammation . Our ultimate collective goal is to offer hope to those at most risk of vision loss through the adoption of this treatment for glaucoma patients in clinics around the world .” EF Dry eye disease also impacts mental health : study
Patients with dry eye disease symptoms have a lower quality of life compared to those without , according to a report coming out of the United Kingdom .
The study , led by the University of Southampton and published in the journal BMJ Open , revealed participants with dry eye disease were more likely to suffer from anxiety and depression than those without and a higher proportion of participants with the condition also had mobility problems and experienced more difficulties in their day-to-day activities .
“ This study provided some very useful information on the burden that dry eye disease places on patients . As well as confirming the impact on work and social lives , we also discovered that the extent of the effects are consistent with the severity of symptoms ,” said Dr . Pawez Hossain , associate professor in ophthalmology at the university .
" We also found that participants with dry eye disease symptoms were a lot more likely to suffer from other comorbidities . Twice as many suffered from arthritis , hearing loss or irritable bowel disease compared to the cohort without symptoms . Whilst we cannot draw causal associations through this study , the presence of dry eye disease does appear to impact on an individual ’ s health and vision-related quality of life .”
Dry eye disease is a common condition and frequent reason for patients to seek medical care .
It can affect people of any age , but is most prevalent in women and older people . It has been reported that up to one-third of adults over age 65 have the condition , but the actual number is likely higher .
Symptoms include irritation and redness in the eyes , blurred vision and a sensation of grittiness or a foreign body in the eye .
Treatment often involves prescriptions of artificial tears , ocular lubricants and astringent .
One thousand patients with dry eye disease and a thousand without took a questionnaire from the National Eye Institute about their visual function as well as a EuroQol questionnaire on health-related quality of life . Those who said they had dry eye disease answered further questions to assess the severity of their symptoms .
Those with the most severe symptoms were more likely to experience a negative impact on their social and emotional functioning as well as work productivity , the study found . EF
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