Artificial tears

Artificial tears
A subset of various brands of artificial tears displayed in a store
Specialtyophthalmology

Artificial tears are lubricating eye drops used to relieve dryness and irritation of the ocular surface.[1] Dry eye syndrome (keratoconjunctivitis sicca) is a common ocular surface disorder and is characterized by disruption of the tear film and increased inflammation.[2]

The tear film coats the surface of the eye and is composed of 3 layers: an aqueous, lipid, and mucous layer.[3] The aqueous layer consists of a mixture of electrolytes, enzymes, antibodies, antimicrobial proteins, and other compounds.[3] The lipid layer consists of fatty compounds that are responsible for decreasing evaporation of the tear film.[3] The mucous layer contains mucins, gelatinous glycoproteins, which allow for an even distribution of the tear film over the corneal surface and decreased friction during blinking.[3]

Artificial tears are used to supplement a patient's naturally-produced tears and increase eye lubrication by mimicking characteristics of the tear film.[4] Artificial tears can be supplemented with other treatments to treat dry eye syndrome and are available over the counter.[5] Artificial tears are also used to moisten contact lenses and in eye examinations.

  1. ^ "Keratoconjunctivitis, Sicca". eMedicine. WebMD, Inc. 2006-04-21. Archived from the original on 16 October 2006. Retrieved 2006-11-12.
  2. ^ Cursiefen, Claus.; Jun, Albert S. (2017). Current Treatment Options for Fuchs Endothelial Dystrophy. Springer International Publishing. ISBN 978-3-319-43021-8. OCLC 979934453.
  3. ^ a b c d Clayton, Janine A. (2018-06-07). Longo, Dan L. (ed.). "Dry Eye". New England Journal of Medicine. 378 (23): 2212–2223. doi:10.1056/NEJMra1407936. ISSN 0028-4793. PMID 29874529. S2CID 46980680.
  4. ^ Perry, Henry D.; Donnenfeld, Eric D. (December 2003). "Medications for dry eye syndrome: a drug-therapy review". Managed Care (Langhorne, Pa.). 12 (12 Suppl): 26–32. ISSN 1062-3388. PMID 14723111.
  5. ^ Cite error: The named reference Moshirfar2014 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).