Dry Eye Common with Psoriasis Diagnosis

Autoimmune conditions are now among the most common health diagnoses. Current estimates from the National Institutes of Health suggest that more than 7% of the U.S. population has an autoimmune disease — up to 23.5 million — and that figure continues to rise. Accompanying ocular issues are not uncommon for many who have been diagnosed with an autoimmune disease. Research has identified dry eye as one of the most common ocular complications in patients with psoriasis. Psoriasis and dry eye Psoriasis is a chronic autoimmune disease that triggers the skin to speed up its cellular growth cycle and causes raised, red, scaly patches on the skin. The severity of the disease, as well as involvement of other organ systems, varies for each individual. The eyes are one organ that can be adversely affected, which may result in permanent complications or irreversible vision loss if not treated. According to recent research, psoriasis may affect the lid, conjunctiva, or cornea resulting in the development of ocular manifestations, including corneal dryness. The study the found prevalence of ocular manifestations in psoriasis patients to be about 70%. Working with your providers At BostonSight, we can help many patients whose autoimmune diagnoses adversely affect their ocular surface. The pain, photophobia, and loss of visual acuity that are the hallmarks of dry eye can significantly impact quality of life. With BostonSight PROSE™ treatment, 77% of patients with dry eye reported significant success. Because of the serious eye complications that can occur with psoriasis or other autoimmune diseases, it is recommended [...]

2024-04-04T13:41:27-04:00March 29, 2021|Blog Posts|
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Medications and Dry Eye Side Effects

New pharmaceuticals and their generic counterparts are approved every week by the FDA. In 2020, 50 novel drugs were approved by the FDA.  While this is great news for those whose health conditions can be better treated and managed with these new drugs or medication costs reduced with the approval of generic formulations, all medications can produce side effects. For people with chronic or serious illnesses that require multiple daily prescription medications, the side effects can be compounded. What you may not realize, is that some of these side effects can significantly impact the eyes, including contributing to dry eye. Statistics from the Centers for Disease Control show that “… during 2015–2016, almost one-half of the U.S. population used one or more prescription drugs in the past 30 days (45.8%). Prescription drug use increased with age*, and a higher percentage of females (50.0%) than males (41.5%) used prescription drugs, but the pattern varied by age.” *Prescription drug use increased with age, from 18.0% of children under age 12 years to 85.0% of adults aged 60 and over. Polypharmacy, the term to describe the use of multiple pharmaceuticals, can create very complex interactions and complications for patients. These interactions can be difficult to predict. The authors of this study note that oral polypharmacy is the most common cause of dry mouth but has not been investigated as a cause of dry eye. The nervous system mechanism that causes dry mouth as a side effect is the same one that also causes dry [...]

2022-10-12T14:35:07-04:00February 9, 2021|Blog Posts|
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Blinking Promotes a Healthy Ocular Surface

This post is part of BostonSight's archival content and was originally authored by Janice M. Epstein in October 2015. Content has been updated to be current.  This content is informational in nature and should not be considered medical advice. Please reach out to your medical professional for questions about your vision.  Why Blinking is so Important Is there such a thing as blinking correctly? Throughout the day, the average person blinks about 15 times per minute. Blinking promotes a healthy ocular surface by distributing lubricating fluid over the surface of the eye. This action also helps to provide essential nutrients to the eye surface. When eyes are irritated, extra tears are produced by the lacrimal glands, and the additional fluid and blinking action help to flush out irritants. Research shows us that variations in blink rates, patterns, and strengths can have a significant impact on overall eye health and might even serve as an indicator of an underlying eye condition. A study from 2012 looking at the action of blinking uncovered a previously unknown function. Scientists wondered why we blink as much as we do when the rate of approximately 15 blinks per minute is more than necessary for eye health. It was discovered that blinking patterns are not entirely random, but tend to occur at predictable moments during reading, conversation, or watching television. Blinks tended to occur at the end of a thought or action. Brain imaging of study participants watching a television program showed that during a blink, brain [...]

2022-10-12T14:35:32-04:00November 16, 2020|Blog Posts|
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Vitamin D and Your Eyes

This post is part of BostonSight's archival content and was originally authored by Janice M. Epstein in June 2015. Content has been updated to be current.  This content is informational in nature and should not be considered medical advice. Please reach out to your medical professional for questions about Vitamin D and how it may impact your vision.  The Vitamin D Council, a nonprofit organization dedicated to providing reliable and evidence-based information about vitamin D, notes that researchers consider the lack of sufficient vitamin D to be pandemic. You’ve no doubt heard about many potential health benefits of vitamin D as well as negative effects that may occur with inadequate levels of this vitamin. Research has even revealed some interesting discoveries correlating vitamin D and eye health. As the days become shorter and the weather becomes colder, we head indoors and naturally receive less vitamin D from the sun.  Patients with ocular surface disease may be interested in the anti-inflammatory properties of vitamin D and the research findings that it is involved in tear fluids and the corneal epithelial cells that help regulate tear film. Here’s a primer on vitamin D along with a brief review of research on vitamin D and eye health. Vitamin D is a fat-soluble nutrient that is necessary for human health. This vitamin is critical for bone health and also plays an important role in cell growth, neuromuscular function, the immune system, endothelial cells, and reduction of inflammation. The human body makes vitamin D by synthesizing [...]

2024-04-04T14:08:36-04:00November 4, 2020|Blog Posts|
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