Our group is studying allergies affecting the eyes - most commonly characterised by symptoms of redness and watery eyes as seen with hay fever. These conditions affect around 1 in 5 people - nearly 10 million sufferers within the UK alone. The special outer 'skin' that protects the eye and the eyelids from damaging agents in the environment is called the conjunctival epithel-ium and it is this which is the particular focus of our research. The symptoms of allergic eye disease are brought about by a reaction of 'allergens'; specific environmental agents - often grass pollens - to which the sufferer is allergic. Recent work here in Southampton has shown that an immune cell - the mast cell - is central to the conjunctival layer from allergic and non-allergic people suggests that this is because there are changes in the structure of this protective layer, and the molecules that hold it together. 



To allow us to study these processes better, we are now using human conjunctival epithelial cells grown as sheets in the laboratory. With this system we can use labelled molecules and study this under a microscope to find out how much allergen gets through the epithelium and how it does so. This places us in a unique position to carry out internationally competitive studies of allergic eye disease. thanks to support from AAIR we will be able to complete and publish our initial findings. We are currently applying for further funding to extend these exciting and novel findings to help us understand this common and debilitating allergic disease. this work is also applicable to other forms of allergic disease such as asthma and dermatitis. 

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