Tear Film and Ocular Surface

Dry eye disease (DED) affects millions of people globally, is one of the most frequent causes of patient visits to eye care practitioners and often requires long-term management.  The problem is increasing in prevalence worldwide, but the incidence is 2-3x higher in Asian patients. DED causes pain, which limits day-to-day activities, leading to poor general health, reduced quality of life and, often, depression. It is unknown why DED is higher in Asians. Personalized medicine offers the opportunity to diagnose and individually treat a wide variety of conditions, and one bodily fluid that is easy to obtain and shows much promise is the human tear film. This theme is to characterize the biochemistry of ocular surface, to identify novel markers that can be used to diagnose, and to use molecular analysis of human tear samples to develop screening techniques for systemic diseases. 

Principle Investigators: