About the book
Dry eye is a chronic inflammatory disease that depends on a myriad of extrinsic or intrinsic factors that promote an unstable and hyperosmolar tear film. Changes in tear composition (along with another systemic factor) lead to an inflammatory cycle that yields acute desiccation and, ultimately, leads to fast cell death, desquamation and implies that the cornea surface appears poorly lubricated.
Millions of people worldwide suffer from dry eye disease, which leads to poor quality of life. Currently, the major advances to fight against the dry eye are represented by cyclosporine and lifitegrast, two FDA-approved therapies that can block the activation of T cells as well as cytokine production. While these therapies are a main pharmacological breakthrough, further research is required to design novel (and more effective) drugs and commercialize them. We are also in a quest for advancing our diagnostic methods to early detect dry eye.
This book will aim to illustrate to a wide audience (consisting of ophthalmologists, MD students, pharmacologists, and orthoptics) the most recent advances in both the diagnosis and treatment of dry eye, the potential of new therapies as well as their main limitations and, finally, to describe novel but promising therapeutic approaches which are at the preclinical stage.
