Interview by Swapna Tarafdar
A study on the ‘Role of oral bio-enhanced curcumin in dry eye disease’ highlights use of oral curcumin in its treatment. Dr Tushar Agarwal, professor, Rajendra Prasad Centre for Opthalmic Sciences, AIIMS explains why issues related to dry eye should not be neglected.
What is a dry eye disease?
This disease occurs when the eyes don’t produce enough tears or are unable to maintain a stable tear film on the surface of eyes. This can cause ocular discomfort, including a gritty or burning sensation, blurry vision, and sensitivity to light. The prevalence of this has increased with more use of smartphones, tablets and laptops.
What is the study all about?
The study aims to evaluate the effectiveness of oral bio-enhanced curcumin (the active ingredient of turmeric/haldi) in patients with mild to moderate dry eye disease.
Is it a first of its kind study or similar attempts have been made elsewhere?
This study is the first of its kind to investigate the role of oral curcumin in the treatment of dry eye disease. Previous studies have explored the role of oral curcumin in conditions such as rheumatoid arthritis, chronic kidney disease, and cardiovascular disease, with promising results.
What is bioenhanced curcumin?
A drawback of using raw turmeric or curcumin is that it is not completely absorbed by the body, resulting in lower effectiveness. The formulation contains a bio enhanced version of curcumin (active ingredient of turmeric/haldi). This formulation enhances absorption by 7-8 times, making it easier for the body to absorb. As a result, the body processes it more efficiently, boosting its overall effectiveness.
What prompted the team to conduct the study when there were eye drops already available for dry eye disease?
I conducted the study along with Dikshit Kapil, Aafreen Bari, Namrata Sharma, Thirumurthy Velpandian, Rajesh Sinha, Prafulla Maharana and Manpreet Kaur.
Dry eye disease affects approximately one-third of the general population in India and it is on rise with the increase in screen time affecting people of all age groups. The current treatment options involve managing only the symptomatic part of dry eye disease. They do not treat the root cause of disease. Oral curcumin due to its strong anti-inflammatory action targets the fundamental cause of the disease thereby addressing the core issue. This study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of oral curcumin in improving tear film characteristics in cases of mild to moderate dry eye disease.
How was the bioenhanced curcumin administered and on how many subjects? What was the outcome? Were drops not effective for these subjects?
The bioenhanced curcumin was given orally in the form of 500 mg tablets, twice a day for 3 months as part of a study involving 40 people with dry eye disease. Of these, 20 received the bioenhanced curcumin tablets, while the other 20 received a sham drug. These supplements were given in addition to the standard tear substitute eye drops for dry eye disease.
Results showed that those who took the bioenhanced curcumin group had improved tear production and tear quality. Additionally, participants experienced less eye redness and reported feeling better based on their personal symptom scores compared to the group which received sham drug.
How is bioenhanced curcumin different from natural market available curcumin and curcumin available as vegetable?
Curcumin is an active ingredient of haldi or turmeric and constitute only 5-10% by weight. To be effective in treating dry eye disease, the dosage of curcumin needs to be properly optimized. The gastric absorption of raw turmeric (haldi) is low and consuming it in huge amounts is not practical. However, when bio-enhanced curcumin is used, its bioavailability increases by 7 to 8 times, improving its effectiveness.
What does the study conclude or establish? What is the next course of action you are aiming at following this study?
This study concluded that oral bio-enhanced curcumin is a safe and effective treatment for mild to moderate dry eye disease. It improves tear production and enhances the quality of the tear film, as measured quantitatively, without causing major side effects. In the future, we plan to conduct a larger-scale study in a community setting to further validate our findings and propose oral bio-enhanced curcumin as a viable treatment alternative for dry eye disease, making it a viable management option for the general population.
