Aloe Gel Shows Promise in Improving Dry Eye Symptoms

Chan-ho Park, a master’s student in the Department of Food and Nutrition at Chonbuk National University’s College of Living, has made a significant breakthrough in demonstrating the effectiveness of aloe gel in improving dry eye symptoms through animal testing.

Park chose aloe vera gel as a research topic due to the lack of functional materials recognized by the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety, as dry eye syndrome has become a social problem with the increased use of smartphones and electronic devices. Aloe gel has been found to have moisturizing and anti-inflammatory effects, which can help skin and immune health, as well as potentially having a positive effect on eye health.

The results of the animal testing showed that oral intake of aloe gel was effective in improving corneal irregularity, tear secretion, corneal thickness, and expression of markers related to inflammation in the eye. This effect was found to be similar to that of omega-3 fatty acids.

This study was conducted through animal testing using equipment from the Chonbuk National University Joint Experiment Center under the guidance of Professor Anna Han of the Department of Food and Nutrition at Chonbuk National University. A patent was jointly applied for by Univera Co., Ltd. and the Chonbuk National University Industry-Academic Cooperation Foundation, with Park being named as a patent inventor.

Park expressed his happiness in proving the effectiveness of aloe gel in improving dry eye syndrome and hopes that this research can contribute to the related industry. This research is considered an important first step in the research of materials for the treatment of dry eye syndrome and is expected to be of great help in the development of functional eye health products in the future.