Evidence map›Paper›PMID 40345388›Full record

ReviewThe ocular surface2025

The ocular surface tear film as a biomarker for systemic health.

Navid Fotovat-Ahmadi, Omer Siddiqui, Joshua Ong, Chanon Thanitcul, Christian Reinhardt, Stephanie M Cologna, Vinay Kumar Aakalu

Abstract readReview
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Review in The ocular surface, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 12 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
12citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

12 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. Review
  2. Article
  3. Review
  4. Article
  5. Review
  6. Article
  7. Article
  8. Tear fluid participates in systemic immunity.Zhong nan da xue xue bao. Yi xue ban = Journal of Central South University. Medical sciences · 2025
    Review
  9. Article
  10. Review
  11. Review
  12. Review
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

7 authors.

Navid Fotovat-AhmadiDepartment of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences, University of Michigan Kellogg Eye Center, Ann Arbor, MI, United States.
Omer SiddiquiDepartment of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences, University of Michigan Kellogg Eye Center, Ann Arbor, MI, United States.
Joshua OngDepartment of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences, University of Michigan Kellogg Eye Center, Ann Arbor, MI, United States.
Chanon ThanitculDepartment of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences, University of Michigan Kellogg Eye Center, Ann Arbor, MI, United States.
Christian ReinhardtDepartment of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences, University of Michigan Kellogg Eye Center, Ann Arbor, MI, United States.
Stephanie M ColognaDepartment of Chemistry, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, IL, United States.
Vinay Kumar AakaluDepartment of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences, University of Michigan Kellogg Eye Center, Ann Arbor, MI, United States. Electronic address: vaakalu@med.umich.edu.

Funding

VIVARIUM MODULEP30EY007003 · NEI · UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN AT ANN ARBOR · PI David Antonetti · 1987 to 2026
$17.6M
Novel Therapeutic Approaches for NPC DiseaseR01NS124784 · NINDS · UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS AT CHICAGO · PI Vinay Aakalu, Stephanie M Cologna · 2022 to 2026
$2.9M
Novel Treatments for Ocular Surface DiseasesR01EY029409 · NEI · UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN AT ANN ARBOR · PI AAKALU, VINAY · 2019 to 2023
$1.9M
NEI NIH HHS P30 EY007003NEI NIH HHS R01 EY029409NINDS NIH HHS R01 NS124784
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

The tear film is a complex structure with rich interactions with the human body. A growing body of evidence suggests that measuring changes in protein, lipid, or other metabolite concentration in the tear film can be used to help detect disease. Particularly in the era of precision medicine, the tear film serves as a promising source of non-invasive insights into systemic health for early diagnosis and treatment. This paper analyzes the latest research in tear film biomarkers for systemic diseases. The review was conducted through PubMed and Embase databases using the PRISMA protocol and includes 54 articles. This paper first reviews the anatomy and physiology of tear film, as well as the latest proteomic analysis techniques on the tear film. We then provide a disease-by-disease review on the tear film as a biomarker including 5 articles related to Alzheimer's Disease, 10 articles related to Cancers, 1 article related to Cystic Fibrosis, 1 article related to Migraines, 4 articles related to Multiple Sclerosis, 15 articles related to Parkinson's Disease, 7 articles related to Rheumatoid Arthritis, and 11 articles related to Thyroid Disease. This paper highlights the promising results of these studies yet also reviews the challenges with limited sample sizes, reproducibility, and biological understanding of biomarkers. We conclude this paper with insights for future work to ensure clinical validity and generalizability. Ultimately, the tear film is a clinically accessible, complex structure that provides a wealth of information that may contribute to a more comprehensive understanding of systemic health.

Indexed as

BiomarkersEye DiseasesEye ProteinsTearsHumansProteomicsBiomarkersEye ProteinsInflammatory biomarkersOcular surfaceOculomicsSystemic healthTear film

Identifiers

PMID40345388
PMCPMC12129656

What Socratic holds

Textmetadata
LicenceTDM
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the Socratic graph.