[Focusing on the functional dry eye].

Area of Science:

• Ophthalmology
• Neurology
• Medical Research

Background:

• Dry eye disease is common, marked by tear film instability and discomfort.
• A significant challenge in dry eye diagnosis is the discrepancy between severe subjective symptoms and a lack of objective clinical signs.
• Functional disorders, characterized by impaired bodily function due to nervous system dysfunction without apparent physical abnormalities, offer a potential framework for understanding these cases.

Purpose of the Study:

• To propose the concept of
• functional dry eye
• as a subtype of dry eye disease.
• To hypothesize that patients experiencing dry eye symptoms without detectable clinical signs could be classified under this functional dry eye subtype.
• To explore the potential mechanisms, clinical manifestations, and treatment strategies for functional dry eye.

Main Methods:

• Literature review and conceptualization based on the definition of functional disorders.
• Analysis of clinical observations regarding the discrepancy between dry eye symptoms and signs.
• Theoretical framework development for functional dry eye.

Main Results:

• The concept of functional dry eye is proposed to address cases of dry eye with severe symptoms but no objective findings.
• This classification aims to provide a diagnostic framework for patients previously confounding ophthalmologists.
• Potential underlying mechanisms and therapeutic approaches are discussed within this new conceptualization.

Conclusions:

• Functional dry eye represents a distinct subtype characterized by subjective symptoms without objective signs.
• This concept may improve the diagnosis and management of a specific group of dry eye patients.
• Further research into the mechanisms and treatments for functional dry eye is warranted.