SYSTANE(R) Lubricant Eye Drops: How Tear Film Instability Occurs.


Home Dry Eye Cascade Signs & Symptoms Tear Break-Up Time Ocular Protection Index Tear Film Structure The Role of Glycocalyx How Instability Occurs How SYSTANE^® Works SYSTANE^® Clinical Data Head to Head Study SYSTANE^® extends TFBUT Study Summary Consumers & Patients Return to Introduction	How Tear Film Instability Occurs A common cause of tear film instability is corneal surface desiccation. Damage to the corneal epithelial cells means loss of the delicate structures that hold mucins to the eye's surface. When mucins cannot attach, the water repellant corneal surface is exposed, forcing aqueous components of the tear film away from the damaged area. Thus, the tear film destabilizes, increasing evaporation and diffusion of tears. When destabilization ("break-up") happens before a blink can occur, the exposed cornea is subject to further damage.
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