Study: Dry eye in children

No actual data in the abstract, but I'm pleased to see a non pediatric journal drawing attention to dry eye in children as it will raise awareness. Too often, dry eye or MGD goes undetected in kids.

If you have kids, take note please, especially if they seem to get infections or pink eye rather frequently. Don't get into the rut of fighting the fire of the day, and don't forget sometimes trees are evidence of a forest. Make sure their entire ocular surface health is carefully checked out.

Dry Eye in Childhood: Epidemiological and Clinical Aspects.
Alves M, Dias AC, Rocha EM.
Ocul Surf. 2008 Jan;6(1):44-51.

ABSTRACT Because dry eye disease is rare in children and its pathogenesis is less well known than in adults, its diagnosis is often overlooked. It can occur in association with a number of congenital, autoimmune, endocrine, and inflammatory disorders, or under certain environmental and nutritional conditions. In some cases, early detection allows the underlying cause of the dry eye to be successfully treated and eliminated. In other cases, the disease may represent a lifelong problem, whose proper management can prevent ulceration and scarring of the ocular surface. Because of the association of pediatric dry eye with other conditions, a multidisciplinary approach to diagnosis and treatment is usually required. The purpose of this review is to enhance physician awareness of dry eye in children, to describe the most frequently associated conditions, and to discuss the diagnostic and therapeutic options available.