Behind the headlines - Spring 2023

5 May 2023
Spring 2023

Eye health issues that are making the news - Spring 2023.

Gene could be targeted for dry eye therapy

Scientists have identified a gene linked to improved healing of the cornea in mouse models of dry eye disease (DED). The finding could lead to new treatments for the condition.

Researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St Louis, US, identified differences in gene expression in the corneas of mice with DED compared with healthy and ageing mice, as well as those with a model of diabetes (Lin et al, 2023). In particular, they found that a gene called SPARC is activated in mice with DED.

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Related further reading

To mark World Sight Day, new analysis of UK eye tests data estimates that only around 5% of the total population of children aged five years and under had an eye test in 2025, despite optometrists and opticians recommending that children should be taken for their first regular eye test by the time they start school, from age three to four years old.

ABDO, Boots Opticians, the College and Specsavers have all come together to provide CPD to enable you to build your confidence in working with children in your practice.

On the eve of the 2026 European Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgeons (ESCRS) conference in London, The College of Optometrists co-hosted ‘Vision Together: Seeing Differently – Innovation, Collaboration & the Future of Eye Care’.