Research progress on dry eye in diabetes mellitus

The incidence of diabetes mellitus has generally increased all over the world.Diabetes mellitus causes several complications,including dry eye,diabetic keratopathy,diabetic retinopathy,glaucoma,cataract,and ametropia,which seriously decrease visual acuity and even cause blindness.The correlation of diabetes mellitus and ocular surface complications is significantly elevated.Dry eye in diabetes mellitus mainly exhibits several clinical features that include recurring corneal epithelial exfoliation,the delay of corneal epithelial regeneration,and a decrease in corneal sensitivity.These anomolies are mainly caused by changes in tears,increasing tear film osmolarity,unstable tear film,and corneal nerve damage in hyperglycemic conditions.This paper briefly reviews research on the factors that influence dry eye in diabetes mellitus along with clinical features,and discusses new detection methods and treatment strategies. Key words: Diabetes mellitus;  Dry eye;  Tear;  Cornea