This project aims to investigate the epidemiological determinants and potential biological mediators of several common ocular diseases, including dry eye disease, allergic conjunctivitis, and ocular manifestations associated with Sjögren’s syndrome.
Using prospective data from the UK Biobank, we will examine how sleep patterns, body size and adiposity distribution, reproductive history, lifestyle behaviours, and environmental exposures influence the incidence and progression of ocular surface and related eye diseases. And the impact of sex-related factors and hormonal levels on the development of dry eye disease and Sjögren’s syndrome.
We will further investigate whether circulating biomarkers-such as blood cell profiles, metabolic biomarkers, and plasma proteomic measures-mediate these associations. For example, we will assess whether adiposity-related metabolic alterations mediate dry eye disease risk, and whether inflammatory biomarker profiles differ in individuals with allergic ocular disease.
