Hormones and Dry Eye Disease

Dry eye disease (DED) is a very prevalent eye disorder, affecting 40 million people in the United States alone. The primary cause of DED is meibomian gland dysfunction (MGD) [1], which by itself is a disease entity. The meibomian gland is a large sebaceous gland located in the tarsal plate of the eye lids. It functions to synthesize and secrete lipids onto the ocular surface. These lipids make up the outer-most layer in the tear film and reduce tear evaporation. When the quantity or quality of the lipids is compromised such as occurs in MGD, tears evaporate more quickly, leading to increased DED, ocular surface discomfort, impaired vision and decreased quality of life.