Dry Eye Is More Than Just Irritation
Dry eye disease is a common condition that can cause burning, stinging, redness, blurry vision, light sensitivity, and the feeling that something is constantly in the eye. For some people, dry eye is mild and manageable. For others, it becomes chronic and difficult to treat.
Dry eye can happen when the eyes do not produce enough tears, when tears evaporate too quickly, or when inflammation affects the surface of the eye. In more severe cases, dry eye may also be connected to autoimmune conditions such as Sjögren’s syndrome.
Because dry eye can affect comfort, vision, sleep, reading, screen use, and everyday quality of life, researchers are continuing to explore new treatment approaches. One promising area of interest is regenerative medicine.
A Non-Invasive Approach Researchers Wanted to Explore
Mesenchymal stem cells, or MSCs, are being studied because they release signals that may help regulate inflammation, support tissue repair, and improve communication between cells.
In eye-related research, MSCs have been explored because inflammation plays an important role in many ocular surface conditions. However, many stem cell approaches involve injections or more invasive delivery methods.
This study took a different approach: umbilical cord-derived MSCs delivered as eye drops.
That is what makes the study especially interesting. Eye drops are familiar, non-invasive, and directly applied to the surface of the eye. For dry eye disease, this type of delivery may be easier for patients compared with procedures that require injections around or into eye-related tissues.
How the Pilot Study Was Designed
This was a first-in-human, prospective pilot trial, meaning it was an early clinical study designed to explore safety and early signs of benefit in people.
The study included 16 patients with refractory dry eye disease. “Refractory” means their dry eye symptoms had not responded well enough to previous treatments. Of the participants, 11 had non-Sjögren’s dry eye, and 5 had Sjögren’s syndrome-related dry eye.
Each patient received umbilical cord-derived MSC eye drops in both eyes twice daily for two weeks. The dose was 5 × 10⁵ cells per eye in a 50 microliter drop.
Researchers followed patients during treatment, at four weeks after treatment, and again at 12 months for longer-term safety monitoring.
They measured several important dry eye markers, including:
- Symptom scores
- Tear production
- Tear film stability
- Eye surface staining
- Tear meniscus height
- Meibomian gland function
- Redness and inflammation-related tear markers
What the Researchers Observed
The study reported encouraging early results after MSC eye drop treatment. Most dry eye symptoms and signs improved after treatment in both the non-Sjögren’s and Sjögren’s dry eye groups. Improvements were especially noted in measures related to tear production and tear meniscus height, which reflect the amount of tear fluid available on the eye surface.
The researchers also observed improvement in meibomian gland blockage. These glands help produce the oily layer of the tear film, which helps prevent tears from evaporating too quickly. Some measures, such as symptom scores, tear film stability, and lipid layer improvement, appeared more pronounced in the non-Sjögren’s dry eye group compared with the Sjögren’s group. Importantly, the study reported no serious adverse events during the treatment or follow-up period.
What May Be Happening on the Eye Surface
One of the key ideas behind this study is that dry eye disease is closely connected to inflammation. When the surface of the eye becomes irritated and inflamed, the tear film can become unstable, and the eye may struggle to maintain a healthy protective barrier.
After MSC eye drop treatment, researchers found reductions in tear inflammatory markers, including IL-6 and IL-17A, which are molecules involved in inflammation. They also observed an increase in MUC5AC, a mucin that helps support tear film quality and eye surface protection.
The study also looked at tear protein changes and suggested that the eye drops may work partly by calming a type of immune activity related to Th17 cells. While this sounds technical, the simpler explanation is that MSC eye drops may help reduce inflammatory signaling on the eye surface and support a healthier tear environment.
Why This Study Is Worth Highlighting
This study is meaningful because it introduces a new and patient-friendly way to explore MSC therapy for dry eye disease. Instead of using an injection-based approach, researchers tested MSCs in the form of topical eye drops.
For patients, the idea of a regenerative eye drop is easy to understand. It also offers a helpful way to explain how MSCs may work through signaling, inflammation regulation, and support of the local tissue environment.
The study is also important because it included both non-Sjögren’s and Sjögren’s-related dry eye, giving researchers an early look at how different dry eye subtypes may respond.
The Bigger Picture
This was a small early-stage study, so the results should be viewed as a promising first step rather than a final answer. The study did not include a placebo group, and larger randomized controlled trials will be needed to confirm the findings, compare outcomes, and better understand which patients may benefit most.
Still, the results provide an encouraging foundation for future research. They suggest that umbilical cord-derived MSC eye drops may be a feasible and well-tolerated approach worth studying further for difficult-to-treat dry eye disease.
Main Takeaway
This first-in-human pilot study explored umbilical cord-derived MSC eye drops for patients with refractory dry eye disease. After two weeks of treatment, patients showed improvements in several dry eye symptoms and clinical signs, including tear production, tear film-related measures, and meibomian gland blockage.
The study also found changes in inflammatory tear markers, suggesting that MSC eye drops may help support a calmer, healthier eye surface environment.
While more research is needed, this study highlights an exciting direction in regenerative medicine: using a non-invasive, cell-based eye drop approach to support ocular surface health and improve future dry eye research.
Source
Zhang D, Chen T, Liang Q, Feng X, Jiang J, Chen Z, Tang Y, Chu Y, Wang B, Hu K. A first-in-human, prospective pilot trial of umbilical cord-derived mesenchymal stem cell eye drops therapy for patients with refractory non-Sjögren’s and Sjögren’s syndrome dry eye disease. Stem Cell Research & Therapy. 2025 Apr 23;16:202. doi: 10.1186/s13287-025-04292-8. PMID: 40269970; PMCID: PMC12020048. Available from: https://link.springer.com/article/10.1186/s13287-025-04292-8
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