Surgical Procedures in the Treatment of Dry Eye Disease

Dry eye disease (DED) is a multifactorial disease affecting 5% to 50% in different populations. The most severe cases of DED are often caused by aqueous deficient dry eye disease (ADDE) due to lacrimal gland (LG) hypofunction. Many patients with severe ADDE do not experience adequate symptom relief from topical treatment, severely reducing their quality of life. The focus of this review is to describe the surgical interventions presently being used or investigated when topical treatment with eye drops is insufficient. The conventional surgical approach is to proceed to punctal occlusion or partial or total tarsorrhaphy. However, novel surgical procedures have been reported to have higher efficacy and patient satisfaction than conventional treatments. These procedures include amniotic membrane transplantation, transposition or transplantation of the salivary glands, and cell-based injections into the LG, each with strengths and weaknesses. Further development of these treatment modalities might prove pivotal in treating dry eye patients in the future.