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The Microbiome and Ocular Surface Disease

  • Cornea (T Yamaguchi, Section Editor)
  • Published:
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Abstract

Purpose of Review

The human body lives in a symbiotic relationship with the bacteria, viruses, fungi, and protozoa that make up the microbiome. In this review, we discuss the compositions of the gut and ocular surface microbiomes in relationship to health and disease.

Recent Findings

The gut microbiome is dominated by Firmicutes, whereas the ocular surface is dominated by Proteobacteria. The compositions of the microbiome are similar between individuals at the phyla level, but differ at the genus level. Alterations in the microbiome have been associated with disease. For example, ocular diseases such as uveitis, dry eye, and keratitis have been associated with gut dysbiosis. In addition, ocular surface dysbiosis has been reported in diseases including dry eye, blepharitis, keratitis, and diabetic retinopathy.

Summary

Compositions of the gut and ocular surface microbiomes have been found to differ in disease states compared with controls. Further understanding of dysbiosis specific to a disease is needed to target these surfaces for therapeutic strategies.

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Funding

This study was supported by the Department of Veterans Affairs, Veterans Health Administration, Office of Research and Development, Clinical Sciences Research EPID-006-15S (Dr. Galor), R01EY026174 (Dr. Galor), NIH Center Core Grant P30EY014801, and Research to Prevent Blindness Unrestricted Grant.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Bascom Palmer Eye Institute, University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, 900 NW 17th Street, Miami, FL, 33136, USA

    Arjun Watane, Kara M. Cavuoto & Anat Galor

  2. Department of Surgery, University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, Miami, FL, USA

    Santanu Banerjee

  3. Miami Veterans Administration Medical Center, Miami, FL, USA

    Anat Galor

Authors
  1. Arjun Watane
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  2. Kara M. Cavuoto
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  3. Santanu Banerjee
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  4. Anat Galor
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Correspondence to Anat Galor.

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Arjun Watane, Kara M. Cavuoto, Santanu Banerjee, and Anat Galor each declare no potential conflicts of interest.

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Watane, A., Cavuoto, K.M., Banerjee, S. et al. The Microbiome and Ocular Surface Disease. Curr Ophthalmol Rep 7, 196–203 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1007/s40135-019-00217-w

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