Scientists hope millions of dry eye sufferers will be able to stop using daily eye drops in the near future.

They are working on innovative nanoparticle-based drops that will ideally moisturize the eyes and reduce inflammation when instilled just once a week..

According to the US CDC, more than 6% of the United States population suffers from dry eye syndrome (xerophthalmia), which occurs when there is a mismatch between the production and outflow of tear fluid..

This disease is most common in people over 50 years of age, and in some cases can lead to eye damage..

Medications for dry eye syndrome exist, but these drugs have to be instilled into the eyes several times a day, because they are quickly washed out.. Therefore, patients should constantly carry drops with them - at work, on vacation, on the road.. Scientists have long dreamed of creating more convenient remedies for xerophthalmia.

Nanoparticles that adhere to the surface of the eye.

Now a team of scientists from the University of Waterloo (Ontario, Canada) has developed a solution with nanoparticles, which is enough to instill once a week.. Special nanoparticles stick to the surface of the eye, significantly prolonging the anti-inflammatory and moisturizing effect of the drops..

The results of the work of scientists were published in the scientific journal Nano Research. There they describe how mice with dry eyes were treated with nanoparticles that were loaded with cyclosporine A.. The experiment showed a significant improvement in the condition of the animals for 5 days at the usual therapeutic doses..

In the next experiment, scientists instilled a weekly dose of nanoparticles with cyclosporine A into mice.. Signs of dryness and inflammation completely disappeared, and the surface of the eye in rodents " The same thing happened in experiments on rabbits - signs of inflammation and irritation were not observed..

Nanoparticles, which are about a thousand times smaller than the thickness of a human hair, were attached to the surface of the eyeball.. At the same time, for the treatment of dry eyes, only 5% of the usual dose of the active substance was required - it ceased to be washed off, as is the case with the traditional dosage form..

How scientists made nanoparticles stick to the eye.

The main challenge that scientists faced when developing this drug was to make the nanoparticles stick to the surface of the eye.. They achieved this by “surface functionalization of nanoparticles with phenylboronic acid,” and the nanoparticles were created from “self-forming blocks of polylactide and dextran copolymers.”.

Lead study author Shengyaen (Sandy) Liu, a professor in the Department of Engineering at the University of Waterloo, said: “I knew that if we focused on biocompatible cyclosporine-loaded particles, then such a drug could, lingering on the surface of the eye, relieve irritation and inflammation for a long time.. This will save patients time and reduce the chance of toxic exposure due to the frequent use of conventional eye drops.”.

According to the scientist, no one will be able to tell the difference between new drops and ordinary water: no eye irritation.

Today the team is preparing to conduct the first clinical trials. If they are successful, that in the next 5 years we can expect the novelty to appear on pharmacy shelves in Canada and the United States.

The study was funded by the Ophthalmic Materials Network and the Natural Sciences and Engineering Council of Canada..

By the way, in August of this year, an interesting discovery was reported by another team of scientists. Inspired by natural lubricants, they have created a new long-acting moisturizing agent for use in contact lenses..

medbe. en.