Share This Day

Share to your favorite social media page

When is this day celebrated? May 19

What is this day?

Mechanical Dry Eye is an age-related disorder, often found in individuals over 60 years of age. It represents one of the most common age-related eye diseases and is characterized by the presence of redundant folds of the conjunctiva that typically are detected between the eyeball and the eyelids. MDE is commonly found along the lower lid margin. This can mechanically interfere with the normal distribution of tears, eye drops, and other treatments, giving rise to unstable tear film, delayed tear clearance, and dry eye.

“Symptoms of MDE can include dryness or redness, excessive tearing due to an obstructed tear reservoir, sensitivity loss, or eye pain. Excessive tearing can be significant in mechanical dry eye patients and blinking does not help.” said Scheffer C.G. Tseng, MD, PhD, Chief Technology Officer at TissueTech. “MDE can cause the Tenon’s capsule – located in the lower eyelid – to degenerate and prevent the eye from holding tears. It can cause irritation that feels like Dry Eye but fails to respond to the conventional treatments including artificial tears, anti-inflammatory therapies, and punctal occlusion. It is often overlooked and underdiagnosed by ophthalmologists.”

Who created this day? This day was founded by Bio-Tissue in 2020 to bring awareness to Mechanical Dry Eye (MDE), one of  the most overlooked and often misdiagnosed eye conditions. MDE is an age-related disorder and is estimated to affect 98% of patients 60 years or older.

How should this day be observed? The goal of National Mechanical Dry Eye (MDE) Day is to create awareness through education about this chronic condition and what can be done to successfully treat it.