Volume 30, Issue 168, February 2026

Dry Eye Disease - A Systematic Review of Diagnostic Methods and Current Therapies

Olga Wojtczak1^♦, Kacper Zagaja¹, Justyna Wróblewska¹, Natalia Skrzypska¹, Jakub Tarczykowski¹, Szymon Stupnicki², Maja Karmińska², Wiktoria Głowacka-Kamińska³

¹University Clinical Hospital, Poznań University of Medical Sciences, 49 Przybyszewskiego St, 60-355 Poznań, Poland
²Provincial Multispecialty Hospital in Leszno, 45 Jana Kiepury St, 64- 100 Leszno, Poland
³HCP Medical Centre, 194 28 Czerwca 1956 r. St 61-485 Poznań, Poland

^♦Corresponding author
Olga Wojtczak, University Clinical Hospital, Poznań University of Medical Sciences, 49 Przybyszewskiego St, 60-355 Poznań, Poland

ABSTRACT

Dry Eye Disease is a condition that affects the surface of the eye and is characterized by an imbalance in the tear film. Those who suffer from the disease usually deal with symptoms such as irritation, changes in sight, and inflammation. This review inspects diagnostic and treatment techniques currently in use. It is based on recent clinical findings and technological developments. Tools such as dry eye questionnaires simplify symptom quantification, while Schirmer testing, tear breakup time, and surface staining remain the main objective measures. Present-day treatments range from favored artificial tears and topical anti-inflammatory medicaments (e.g., cyclosporine, lifitegrast) to novel secretagogues (e.g., varenicline nasal spray, diquafosol), lipid-enhancing agents (e.g., perfluorohexyloctane), and biologic therapies (e.g., autologous serum). Adjunct procedures like thermal pulsation, intense pulsed light, and punctal occlusion have often worked well in stubborn cases. Further, emerging modalities, such as neurostimulatory and nervetargeted treatments, offer potential for managing neuropathic components of dry eye disease.

Keywords: dry eye disease, ocular surface, tear film instability, meibomian gland dysfunction

Medical Science, 2026, 30, e45ms3827

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DOI: https://doi.org/10.54905/disssi.v30i168.e45ms3827

Published: 27 February 2026