Eye on-chip as new paradigm for drug discovery and disease modeling of dry eyes disease

Dry eye disease is defined as a multifactorial disease of the tears and ocular surface that results from tear film instability that leads to visual disturbance and ocular discomfort. A better understanding of the pathophysiology and etiology of dry eye disease is necessary for efficient management and treatment of the disease process. Eye on chip (type of organ chip) acts as an alternative model for disease modeling. These chips help in exploration of facets of human disease and development which is not accurately recapitulated by animal models. This technology will increase our understanding of the basic physiology of different eye structures and enable us to interrogate unknown aspects of ophthalmic disease pathogenesis and serve as clinically-relevant surrogates for the evaluation of ocular therapeutics. These chips play important role in drug development process and can be used in clinical trials for drug testing in place of animals. Overall, these chips reduce the cost of drug development process by increasing the success rate of clinical trials they also help in avoiding ethical issues related to animal testing.