Aqueous Tear Deficiency – Cause

Aqueous tear deficiency causes inflammation of the ocular surface and surrounding tissue. Damage to the corneal surface interrupts the blink feedback loop that triggers the lacrimal gland to produce tears.

And, as with evaporative dry eye, there is stress on the meibomian glands; because, with an inadequate aqueous tear layer, there can be excessive friction during each blink. Stressed meibomian glands, in turn, produce poor quality meibum, because the cells that turn into meibum are in an inflamed state when they die off. Stress and inflammation leads to periductal (with in the duct) fibrosis (vascularized tissue) and meibomian gland dysfunction (MGD).

Aqueous tear deficiency is just one example of a Dry Eye condition that causes or contributes to other related Dry Eye conditions and their symptoms.

References

Dysfunctional neural regulation of lacrimal gland secretion and its role in the pathogenesis of dry eye syndromes
Dartt DA.
The Ocular Surface
2004 Apr;2(2):76-91
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Why the eye becomes dry: a cornea and lacrimal gland feedback model
Mathers WD.
The CLAO Journal : official publication of the Contact Lens Association of Ophthalmologists
2000 Jul;26(3):159-65
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