Volume 29, Issue 155, January 2025

Managing dry eye disease: A review of emerging and established treatments

Karolina Krzywicka^1♦, Nikola Perchel², Paweł Nowocin², Paulina Kumięga², Aleksandra Litwin², Zuzanna Kudas², Natalia Dąbrowska², Dawid Wiktor Kulczyński², Martyna Koszyk³, Piotr Wasiński²

¹SPKSO Ophthalmic University Hospital in Warsaw, Józefa Sierakowskiego 13, 03-709 Warszawa, Poland
²Medical University of Warsaw, Żwirki i Wigury 61, 02-091 Warsaw, Poland
³Cardinal Stefan Wyszyński University in Warsaw, Kazimierza Wóycickiego 1/3, 01-938 Warsaw, Poland

^♦Corresponding Author
SPKSO Ophthalmic University Hospital in Warsaw, Józefa Sierakowskiego 13, 03-709 Warszawa, Poland

ABSTRACT

Dry eye syndrome (DES) is a widespread condition that impacts the ocular surface. It originates from multiple etiological factors and results in an imbalance in tear film homeostasis. A range of eye-related symptoms emerging from this disorder can significantly impair vision-related quality of life. If left untreated, it may lead to chronic conjunctivitis and keratitis and potentially cause epithelial defects and ulceration. This review describes the different treatment modalities available to clinicians treating patients with dry eye disease. A targeted search of PubMed and the National Library of Medicine, along with current guidelines and specialized manuals, identified a variety of FDA-approved pharmacological and device-based treatments for dry eye disorder, including artificial tears, cyclosporine A, lifitegrast, warming and humidity devices, scleral lenses, and intranasal neurostimulation. Furthermore, off-label treatments are gaining popularity due to their mechanism of restoring balance to the tear film. In conclusion, contributions to understanding the aetiopathogenesis of dry eye syndrome (DES) and advances in selecting new interventions using technology, as well as these interventions being evaluated in clinical trials, ensure better management of patients. Management options for dry eye syndrome are determined by the severity of the disease and vary from conservative to more advanced.

Keywords: Dry eye syndrome, ocular surface disease, meibomian gland dysfunction, aqueous tear-deficient dry eye, evaporative dry eye

Medical Science, 2025, 29, e15ms3492

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DOI: https://doi.org/10.54905/disssi.v29i155.e15ms3492

Published: 23 January 2025