Scientists develop nanotech treatment for dry eye syndrome

Nanotechnology might be the key to a new, simple-to-administer treatment for dry eye syndrome, according to researchers from Canada.

In a paper published in Nano Research this month, scientists from the University of Waterloo described an experimental therapy for the painful condition in which drug-infused nanoparticles provide an alternative to conventional eye-drops.

The nanoparticles, which are around one-thousandth the width of a human hair, adhere to the surface of the eye and administer the drug over a five-day period.

By comparison, eye-drops require upwards of 15 applications – or three doses per day – to keep the condition in check, using 20 times as much of the drug.

The new treatment should both save patients time and reduce the possibility of toxic exposure due to excessive eye-drop use, according to lead researcher Shengyan Liu.

"You can't tell the difference between these nanoparticle eye-drops and water," he said. "There's no irritation to the eye."

The researchers are now preparing the treatment for clinical trials, with an eye to having it on sale within five years.