Dry eye disease and eye drops: retention of dry eye management formulations in eye

If you are interested in pursuing full‑time PhD study in anterior eye research, with a focus on treatment strategies and an in‑depth exploration of the ocular surface and ocular lubricants, this programme may be an opportunity for you.

About one in three adults [1-3] and one in five children [4] meet the diagnostic criteria for dry eye disease (DED), hence it is commonly encountered in routine primary eye care. The UK dry eye disease (DED) market is currently valued at approximately £500 million, while the global market is projected to reach £6 billion by 2025 [5], providing valuable opportunity to work and grow in this sector. The first line of management for DED and any ocular surface disease is topic lubricants[6]. However there is little known about how long the lubricants stay in eye. Most of the preservative free ocular lubricants constitute of polyethylene glycol, propylene glycol, and polyvinyl alcohol, and viscosity-enhancing agents such as carboxymethylcellulose, hypromellose, and sodium hyaluronate. Other ingredients may include glycerin, dextran, mineral oil, and various buffers. The retention of these lubricants in eye is highly important for DED management & heavily dependent on the mix of ingredients. This study will assess the retention using Fluorescein admixed or molecularly tagged formulations using novel fluorophotometer at the Aston Eye clinical research set up.

Overall the project aims are:

•           Review current understanding of retention of ocular lubricants with various constituents in ocular surface

•           Help develop novel set up with fluorophotometer on a slit lamp or similar clinical tool for simple, user-friendly regular clinical investigation

•           Lead studies towards PhD: cross over or randomised clinical trials assessing ocular surface and DED

REFERENCES

[1]        García-Marqués JV, Talens-Estarelles C, García-Lázaro S, Wolffsohn JS, Cerviño A. Systemic, environmental and lifestyle risk factors for dry eye disease in a mediterranean caucasian population. Contact Lens and Anterior Eye 2022;45(5):101539. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1016/j.clae.2021.101539.

[2]        Vidal-Rohr M, Craig JP, Davies LN, Wolffsohn JS. The epidemiology of dry eye disease in the UK: The Aston dry eye study. Contact Lens Anterior Eye 2023;46(3):101837. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.clae.2023.101837.

[3]        Cai Y, Wei J, Zhou J, Zou W. Prevalence and Incidence of Dry Eye Disease in Asia: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. Ophthalmic Research 2022;65(6):647-58. https://doi.org/10.1159/000525696.

[4]        Stapleton F, Velez FG, Lau C, Wolffsohn JS. Dry eye disease in the young: A narrative review. The ocular surface 2024;31:11-20. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jtos.2023.12.001.

[5]        Mastrota K. Global dry eye by the numbers. Optometry Times Journal 2024;16, https://www.optometrytimes.com/view/global-dry-eye-by-the-numbers.

[6]        Casemore RK, Wolffsohn JS, Dutta D. Dry eye clinical practice patterns of UK optometrists. Contact Lens and Anterior Eye 2023;46(5), https://www.scopus.com/inward/record.uri?eid=2-s2.0-85166959795&doi=10.1016%2fj.clae.2023.101889&partnerID=40&md5=8643fe03e85686a1604be926d75ba2fe.

Candidates should have been awarded, or expect to achieve, EITHER:

a] a First or Upper Second Class award in their Undergraduate Degree (Bachelors or UG Masters) from a UK institution, in a subject judged by Aston to be relevant to the proposed research.

Alternativley

b] a Merit (or above)* in a Postgraduate Masters degree in a relevant subject AND an Undergraduate Degree (Bachelors or UG Masters), both from UK institutions.

*where appropriate.

Qualifications from overseas institutions will be also considered but performance must be equivalent to that described above, and the University reserves the right to ascertain this equivalence according to its own criteria.

Financial Support

This project covers the Home tuition fees. Candidates who do not have Home status will be responsible for the difference in tuition fees. Currently, the difference between ‘Home’ and the ‘Overseas’ tuition fees is £17,712 for 2026/7.  

Overseas Applicants

Overseas applicants may apply for this studentship but will need to pay the difference between the ‘Home’ and the ‘Overseas’ tuition fees. Currently, the difference between ‘Home’ and the ‘Overseas’ tuition fees is £17,712 for 2026/7. As part of the application, you will be required to confirm that you will provide this additional funding. Please indicate this on the application form in the funding section.
 

Apply through our PhD application form.

When applying:

• For University College, please select Health Sciences
• For Degree Programme, please select Research Health Sciences (including Optometry, Pharmacy, and Psychology Research Areas) and your preferred entry date.

The supervisor can be contacted at d.dutta@aston.ac.uk.  When applying, please upload copies of your discussions with the supervisor as confirmation.

Overseas Applicants

Overseas applicants may apply for this studentship but will need to pay the difference between the ‘Home’ and the ‘Overseas’ tuition fees. Currently the difference between ‘Home’ and the ‘Overseas’ tuition fees is £17,712 for 2026/7. As part of the application, you will be required to confirm that you will provide this additional funding. Please indicate this on the application form in the funding section. This project has associated consumables costs which should be discussed with the supervisor in the first instance and before applying. The supervisor can be contacted at d.dutta@aston.ac.uk. When applying, please upload copies of your discussions with the supervisor as confirmation.

Apply now

If you require further information about the application process please contact the Postgraduate Admissions team at pgr_admissions@aston.ac.uk

Supervisor: Dr Debarun Dutta

Associate Supervisor: Dr Sonia Trave-Huarte and Prof James Wolffsohn

Contact information

For formal enquiries about this project contact: d.dutta@aston.ac.uk

PhD programmes are for those who are seeking to develop greater in-depth knowledge in a specific area. Completing this level of study is about making an original contribution to knowledge, making new discoveries and developing lifelong skills. 

Studying a PhD is great route into academia and industries that are centred on research and innovation. Areas with a demand for very high level and specialised research skills often demand PhDs.

In addition to this specialist knowledge, PhD education will help you to develop a set of valuable transferrable skills. The very nature of studying an intensive research degree will enable you to become a team player, develop problem-solving skills, analytical thinking, and advanced presentation and communication skills.