Dry Eye Relief Thanks to Research in Knee Osteoarthritis

Thanks to Dr. Tannin Schmidt, professor in the Faculty of Kinesiology and member of the Executive Committee of the McCaig Institute, those struggling with dry eye syndrome, may soon find some relief.

While studying osteoarthritis, Dr. Schmidt discovered that the protein that lubricates knee joints is also an effective lubricant for eyes.

Although the product is being tested, Schmidt expects it will make a huge difference in the quality of life for many, once on the market.

“Dry eye impacts millions of people around the world…They are in pain and can’t find relief. And they can become depressed because of it.”

Dry eye is a diagnosable, chronic condition in which the eye is unable to maintain a health layer of tears. The syndrome is particularly bad in dry climates, and can make wearing contact lenses extremely uncomfortable.

Calgary optometrist Dr. Jill Bridges says dry eye is a constant problem for her patients because of southern Alberta’s dry climate, elevation and chinook winds.

“I am discussing dry eye with my patients every day,” she said. “There are times in the year, in Calgary, where our humidity levels are worse than in the Sahara Desert.”

Bridges says dry eye problems are so varied and complex, there are a number of treatments that can either work or fail, depending on the patient.

In addition to a variety of drops, she also asks patients to keep their whole bodies as hydrated as possible, drinking plenty of water and ingesting fish oils.

But she’s excited that new eye drops, like Schmidt’s, could be on the market soon.

“We always look forward to new products that could be coming out.”

Schmidt stumbled on his discovery while studying knee osteoarthritis and a lubricating protein called proteoglycan 4 — also referred to as PRG4 or more commonly lubricin.

When Schmidt was a graduate student, a fellow student’s father, David Sullivan — a researcher at Harvard’s Schepens Eye Research Institute — discovered that lubricin is naturally present in our eyes, potentially lubricating the eyelid as we blink an average of 11,500 times a day.

So Schmidt created a mechanical device to measure friction between an eyelid and a cornea, and whether that friction could be reduced with his eye drops made by mixing lubricin and hyaluronic acid.

“When we took the lubricin protein and compared it against commercial eye drops, not only did it lubricate, but it did so better than any other commercial brand,” said Schmidt.

Thanks to the Lions Eye Bank in Calgary, Schmidt was able to access up to 100 human corneas to do his testing.

They had been collected for transplant, but were deemed unsuitable.

“I’m also hopeful that these drops may improve the quality of life for people who wear contact lenses and suffer from dry eye syndrome, sometimes so severe that they actually develop wear tracks on the inside of their eyelids,” said Schmidt, whose research has been published in the current edition of the journal Eye & Contact Lens.

A European pharmaceutical company is expected to move toward a clinic trial in the next few years.

(original article)
By Eva Ferguson, Postmedia News
January 18th, 2012