Young people are not immune to the effects of dry eye disease (DED)1. The average university student spends upwards of eight hours each day staring at screens while often running low on sleep. Therefore, it is no surprise that we are seeing a high number of students with DED2,3. But are these lifestyle factors solely to blame and what does this early onset mean for their future?
At the University of Auckland, fourth-year optometry students undertake a year-long research project as part of their honours degree. Since 2021, students have contributed to a growing longitudinal study, known as ‘i4ni’, which is investigating the incidence, natural history and risk factors of DED among their peers.
Each year, a new group of students joins i4ni, each bringing a fresh perspective. In 2025, six students are delving into topics ranging from clinical markers of inflammation associated with DED to subjective tear breakup time and unique patterns of meibomian gland loss, looking at how these change within the population and over time. Together, their work will offer a clearer view of the earlier stages of DED and its evolution, revealing a large proportion of students meeting the criteria for DED, with evidence pointing to a noticeable worsening in severity in as little as two years.
