Definition
Glycosaminoglycan disaccharide composed of repeated units of d-glucuronic acid and N-acetyl-d-glucosamine. It is found in many human tissues including synovial fluid, skin, cartilage, and the vitreous.
Etiology
Studies suggest that hyaluronic acid promotes migration of corneal epithelial cells, but not necessarily proliferation (Gomes et al. 2004).
Clinical Presentation
It can be helpful for cases of moderate to severe ocular surface disease.
Prophylaxis
Hyaluronic acid can be used to lubricate the cornea during ophthalmic surgery.
Therapy
Hyaluronic acid (HA) is a viscoelastic agent often used to lubricate the cornea for ophthalmic surgeries. For patients with moderate to severe dry eyes, 0.4% hyaluronic acid eye drops have been effective in improving the signs and symptoms of dry eyes (Kinoshita et al. 2013). Results have been more dramatic with a hypotonic solution of 0.4% HA(150 mOsm/L) than an isotonic solution (300...
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References
Gomes JA, Amankwah R et al (2004) Sodium hyaluronate (hyaluronic acid) promotes migration of human corneal epithelial cells in vitro. Br J Ophthalmol 88(6):821–825
Kinoshita S, Oshiden K et al (2013) A randomized, multicenter phase 3 study comparing 2% rebamipide (OPC-12759) with 0.1% sodium hyaluronate in the treatment of dry eye. Ophthalmology 120(6):1158–1165
Koh S, Maeda N et al (2013) Effect of instillation of eyedrops for dry eye on optical quality. Invest Ophthalmol Vis Sci 54(7):4927–4933
Lester M, Orsoni GJ et al (2000) Improvement of the ocular surface using hypotonic 0.4% hyaluronic acid drops in keratoconjunctivitis sicca. Eye 14(Pt 6):892–898
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Raja, D. (2018). Hyaluronic Acid, for Dry Eye. In: Schmidt-Erfurth, U., Kohnen, T. (eds) Encyclopedia of Ophthalmology. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-540-69000-9_816
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-540-69000-9_816
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Publisher Name: Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg
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