Oral NutritionOral Nutrition Impact on Tear Film

Dry eye disease (DED) is a common but often inadequately treated disease of the tears and surface of the eye. It can cause poor vision and chronic pain and is more frequent with increasing age. The 1995 Report of the National Eye Institute/Industry Workshop on Clinical Trials in Dry Eye defined dry eye as "a disorder of the tear film due to tear deficiency or excessive evaporation, which causes damage to the interpalpebral ocular surface and is associated with symptoms of ocular discomfort". The International Dry Eye Work Shop (DEWS) committee subsequently defined dry eye as "a multi-factorial disease of the tears and ocular surface that results in symptoms of discomfort, visual disturbance, and tear film instability with potential damage to the ocular surface. It is accompanied by increased osmolarity of the tear film and inflammation of the ocular surface." Typically, symptoms associated with dry eye disease include ocular burning, foreign body sensation (sand or grit), photophobia (light sensitivity), and other symptoms that result in overall long term discomfort in patients. The proposed eight week feasibility study if dry eye subjects confirmed elevated osmolarity and symptoms respond to nutritional therapy.