Differential Diagnosis for Dry Eye

Dear Colleagues,

Dry eye disease (DED), characterized with tear film (TF) instability and ocular discomfort and/or visual impairment, is one of the most prevalent public health ophthalmic diseases affecting the quality of life of 10–30% of the human population worldwide. Caused by aging, general and eye diseases and their medications, and exposure to everyday influences (contact lens, air conditioners, computer screens, medicines etc.), it has gross socioeconomic impact on modern society. DED is a multifactorial disease which may involve (i) insufficiency in any of the TF layers, lipid and/or mucoacueous, or in the ocular surface epithelium and (ii) inflammation either by immunologic or neuropathic component. Therefore in order the best personalized therapy to be delivered to the patient, a differential diagnosis able to identify the root cause(s) of the disease is necessary. Multiple efforts were devoted on this involving (i) the assessment of the TF physical properties: evaluation of TF breakup, osmolarity, viscosity, ocular friction, tear ferning patterns etc. and (ii) the omics quest for DED specific biomarkers: inflammatory molecules, lipid and protein alterations in health and disease etc. The accumulation and the critical appreciation of such results is essential for breakthrough that results in personalized diagnosis and therapy of DED. In this special issue, we are looking for reviews and research results including new findings in the above fields. The aim is to broaden the understanding for the mechanisms involved in TF instability and DED pathology and to facilitate the possibilities for differential diagnostics of DED. We are looking forward to and will be welcoming your invaluable work in this issue

Prof. Georgi Georgiev
Prof. Norihiko Yokoi
Guest Editors

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