Could Common Antibiotic Cure Dry Eye Disease?

Dry eyes is estimated to affect millions of Americans. And unfortunately, at this time, there is no FDA-approved treatment for the condition--also known as meibomian gland dysfunction (MGD). However, researchers from the Schepens Eye Research Institute/ Massachusetts Eye and Ear and Harvard Medical School have just identified a potential therapy treatment to help solve the health issue. 

"We discovered that azithromycin, an antibiotic, can directly stimulate the function of human meibomian gland epithelial cells," said First Author Yang Liu, M.D., a postdoctoral fellow at Schepens Eye Research Institute and Harvard Medical School, according to a press release. 

As topical azithromycin is the most commonly prescribed MGD treatment in the United States, these findings prove to be significantly important as the product's 'off-label' use has not yet be evaluated or approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). 

Background information from the study notes that this antibiotic has been presumed to be effective due to its anti-inflammatory and anti-bacterial actions that may help suppress the MGD-associated conjunctival inflammation associated with lid bacteria that causes the issue. 

"We hypothesized that azithromycin could act directly on human meibomian gland epithelial cells to stimulate their differentiation, enhance the quality and quantity of their lipid production, and promote their holocrine secretion. Our results support this hypothesis," said Senior Author David A. Sullivan, Ph.D., Senior Scientist and Margaret S. Sinon Scholar in Ocular Surface Research, Schepens Eye Research Institute and Associate Professor of Ophthalmology, Harvard Medical School, via the release. 

The findings in this study may help lead to broader use of topical azithromycin as an FDA-approved, 'on-label' treatment to ameliorate the pathophysiology of MGD and its associated evaporative dry eye disease.

More information regarding the study can be found via JAMA Ophthalmology.