A STUDY ON LITERATURE REVIEW OF DRY EYE SYNDROME IN AYURVEDA W.R.T. SHUSHKAKSHIPAKA

Abstract

Dry eye is a common ocular disease with a wide variety of symptoms due to multifactoral and elusive etiology. With a global prevalence ranging from 20 to 50%, dry eye disease (DED) is a significantly growing health problem worldwide. When symptoms of dry eye are analyzed, the disease that have striking similarity to dry eye, is Shuskakshipaka described by Acharyas Vagbhata and Sushruta in Sarvagat Netraroga. The commonest ocular symptoms are feeling of dryness, grittiness, foreign body sensation, itching, redness, photophobia, burning and pricking pain which gradually worsen over the course of day. Stringy discharge, transient blurring vision and crusting of lids are also common. Eventually symptoms worsen the condition of ocular surface and causes erosion and inflammation of lids, conjunctiva and cornea. Symptoms are timely relieved with the help of lubricating eye drops. In Ayurveda local treatment therapies like Ashchyotan, Parishek, Tarpan etc are performed. If not treated timely, there may be vision threatening complications, epithelial breakdown, ulceration, bacterial keratitis, trichiasis, keratinization, symblepheron, corneal perforation and melting. In recent times focus on treating the underlying cause of dry eye instead of conventional local treatments for symptomatic relief is highly considered by researchers studying xero-dacryology. In light of above knowledge, the present article focuses on evaluation of risk factors contributing to dry eye, pathophysiology and management of dry eye syndrome in terms of ayurveda.