Various factors that contribute to the development of dry eye after cataract surgery are: · Prolonged use of antibiotic-steroid eye drops · Decreased tear film break-up time due to surface irregularity at the incision site · Decreased mucin production from the conjunctiva because of incision placement · Decreased corneal sensation because of a surgical incision, which disrupts the cornea-lacrimal gland loop, leading to reduced tear secretion and poor tear film production. Although the dry eye symptoms may be transient, they impact the patient's quality of life.
View this clinical round-up to review the incidence of dry eye disease after manual small incision cataract surgery and phacoemulsification.