New treatment for severe dry eye disease promising

Participants in a clinical trial of a new enzyme-based treatment for severe dry eye disease experienced reduced signs of both disease and discomfort. 

The trial compared eye drops containing a biosynthetic form of an enzyme called DNase with eye drops without the enzyme. 

DNase breaks up nucleic acid-based material on the surface of the eye.

“Participants in the trial who used the drops with DNase reported less eye discomfort and their corneas were healthier,” said Dr. Sandeep Jain, professor of ophthalmology and visual sciences in the University of Illinois at Chicago College of Medicine and principal investigator of the clinical trial.

The researchers found that participants in the DNase group had a statistically significant and clinically meaningful reduction in corneal damage at eight weeks compared with the placebo group.

“The data from this early clinical trial suggests that DNase eye drops may be safe and effective for treating severe dry eye, and we look forward to conducting larger randomized trials to definitively prove its efficacy,” Jain said.

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