Maths Could Provide A Cure For Dry Eye

It may be that one day mathematics and computers will give us the much-needed cure for dry eye. A team of US researchers has developed a mathematical model which simulates the movement of tear film within the eye. This project involves scientists from the University of Delaware, Rochester Institute of Technology and Ohio State University.

One of the researchers contributing to the study is Kara Maki, assistant professor at the School of Mathematical Sciences within Rochester Institute of Technology, Medical News Today reports. Maki said the aim of the study was to gain better insight into basic tear film dynamics. This would in turn help the scientists understand the problems arising from dry eye and then proceed to look for cures by exploring simulations.

Maki has built a mathematical model that simulates the direction in which tear film travels after leaving the lacrimal glands and entering the eye. With the help of a software program, she recreated tear flow on the surface of an open eye. The tears moved from the upper corner and went into ducts located at the opposite corner. As Maki explains, the researchers were able to establish that tears become thinner along the edge of an open eye, which is known as the “back line.” The simulations can reproduce what has been observed in clinical setting. Tears move up the eyelid and enter a column of fluid travelling along the lid. This fluid is sucked into the meniscus by low pressure and the results are the black line and dry spots in the tear film, which are responsible for vision problems and corneal irritation. The good thing about having a model is that various scenarios can be explored and the scientists are hoping to gain further insights, moving to simulations in a blinking eye, Maki said.