What's new in dry eye research today? | Sep 1, 2026

【Title】Association of Dry Eye and Corneal Ulcers With Collagen Vascular Diseases in a Medicare Population

【Journal】Cornea

【Authors】Arvind Sommi; Gavin Li; Jihwan Hwang; et al.

【Summary】This study of 2,688,114 US Medicare beneficiaries found strong associations between collagen vascular diseases and both dry eye disease and corneal ulcers. Primary Sjögren's syndrome showed the strongest associations with DED (OR 9.67) and corneal ulcers (OR 6.26), highlighting the importance of ocular surface assessment in patients with systemic inflammatory diseases.

【Title】Ocular Adverse Events of Antibody Drug Conjugates and Association With Survival From a Real-World Database 

【Journal】Cornea

【Authors】Samuel H Kim; Rayna F Marshall; Karen M Wai; et al.

【Summary】This retrospective study of 14,138 patients receiving antibody-drug conjugates found that dry eye (2.9%) and keratitis or conjunctivitis (2.21%) were the most common ocular adverse events, with belantamab mafodotin showing the highest rate of keratitis or conjunctivitis (17.8%). After propensity score matching, patients without ocular adverse events had higher mortality, suggesting that some ocular adverse events may be associated with treatment response and survival.

【Title】Impact of Corneal Punctate Epithelial Staining on Patient Satisfaction After Cataract Surgery: An Area of Unmet Need for Clinical Guidance

【Journal】Cornea

【Authors】Whitney Stuard Sambhariya; Kyle Munar; Richard Medina; et al.

【Summary】This review identified 1,242 publications and examined 18 studies addressing the relationship between ocular surface abnormalities and cataract surgery outcomes. No study directly quantified the effect of punctate epithelial erosions on biometry, and the authors found insufficient evidence to establish validated staining thresholds for preoperative ocular surface optimization, highlighting the need for further research.

【Title】Effects of steam warming eye masks on choroidal perfusion, visual function, dry eye measures, and symptoms in children with myopia

【Journal】Clin Exp Optom

【Authors】Kemeng Gao; Yueli Xu; Yasuto Saita; et al.

【Summary】This single-arm study of 68 children (127 eyes) found that steam-warming eye masks significantly increased central retinal choroidal perfusion and reduced symptoms of eye strain, dryness, and soreness by 60.75%, 22.96%, and 33.24%, respectively. Accommodation and blink stability also improved, while visual acuity, refractive error, and tear meniscus height showed no significant changes.