Each year, more than 800,000 Americans undergo refractive surgery like LASIK and PRK to correct their vision. While these procedures generally have a high rate of success, a small number of people continue to feel pain or discomfort long after the surgery.
In a new study published in the Journal of Proteome Research, Oregon Health & Science University (OHSU) researchers discovered a connection between levels of certain proteins found in patients’ tears and persistent pain months after surgery. The team hopes their findings could eventually help in the development of new screening tools and treatments for patients.
“A lot of people think tears are just salt water, when in fact we are able to detect thousands of proteins in human tears,” said Sue Aicher, Ph.D., corresponding author on the study and a professor of chemical physiology and biochemistry in the OHSU School of Medicine who studies how cells function in neural circuits, particularly in pain…
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