Promoting tear production: neurostimulation for dry eye

Dry eye syndrome is a common ocular surface disorder often caused by deficient or poor-quality tear production.There are numerous therapeutic approaches to address dry eye, however, there are quite a number of patients with unsatisfactory treatment results, and neurostimulation therapy has introduced an innovative solution to this challenge.This therapy involves stimulation of the nasal nerves to activate the lacrimal reflex pathway, thereby increasing tear secretion.Unlike traditional dry eye treatments, its unique capacity is to stimulate the natural production of tears, as opposed to simply supplementing tear components.Theoretically, this method may be more effective in restoring tear film stability.Neurostimulation is a promising alternative for the management of dry eye, with several designs successfully transitioning to commercialization after clinical trials.In clinical practice, neurostimulation can significantly promote immediate tear secretion after application.In addition, some studies have reported that long-term use of neurostimulation can relieve the symptoms and signs of dry eye in some research.Ophthalmologists and ophthalmic researchers are encouraged to pay attention to the application and investigation of neurostimulation therapy in dry eye management.Future research should focus on exploring the long-term effects of neurostimulation on dry eye symptoms and signs, how it can be integrated into existing dry eye treatment protocols, and promoting neurostimulation therapy to benefit more dry eye patients.

Dry eye syndromes; Therapeutics; Tears; Neurostimulation; Lacrimal functional unit; Nasolacrimal reflex