The Ocular Microbiome in Patients With Dry Eye Disease

Insel Gruppe AG, University Hospital Bern

Status: Completed

Conditions: Dry Eye Disease

Treatments: Other: Ocular microbiome

Study type: Observational

Funder types: Other

Identifiers

NCT04656197

BASEC 2019-01670

Details and patient eligibility

About

The primary objective of this study is the characterization of the ocular microbiome in a healthy cohort and in patients with dry eye disease using whole-metagenome shotgun sequencing. Secondary objectives are the identification of differences between the ocular microbiome of healthy controls and patients with dry eye disease as well as between the ocular and the gut microbiome.

Full description

Dry eye disease is considered to be the most common ocular surface disease worldwide. Recent studies revealed that the ocular microbiome plays an important role in maintaining ocular surface homeostasis and health. Commensals colonizing the ocular surface seem to support the local innate immune system. As the ocular microbiome coordinates several functions together with ocular mucosal and immune epithelial cells, alteration of the microbiome can lead to changes in the integrity of the ocular surface. This can lead to the development of ocular surface related diseases such as dry eye. Inflammation seems to be a key component of dry eye disease in terms of being a propagator as well as a consequence. In contrast to earlier approaches of identifying the microbiome by cultivating with only limited results, it is now possible to provide more details regarding all microbiota residing on the ocular surface due to modern sequencing techniques. Thus, the overall aim of this study is the identification of the role of the ocular microbiome in dry eye disease.

Enrollment: 80 patients

Sex: All

Ages: 60+ years old

Volunteers: Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Inclusion criteria

• Patients willing to sign informed consent
• Patients 60 years of age or older

Exclusion criteria

• Patients not willing or able to sign informed consent
• Patients younger than 60 years
• Smoking
• Wearing contact lenses
• Recent (3 month) history of use of systemic and/or topical antibiotics
• Usage of medical eye drops (Lacrycon and other moisturizing eye drops are allowed)
• Recent (3 month) history of ocular surgery

Trial design

80 participants in 2 patient groups

Patients with dry eye disease

Treatment:

Other: Ocular microbiome

Healthy controls

Treatment:

Other: Ocular microbiome