A sea buckthorn seed oil nano-emulsion in the management of digital screen-induced ocular conditions

A stable, phytochemical-loaded nano-emulsion (SBO-NE) was engineered for topical ocular multi-target therapy. • Anti-inflammatory effects exceed Soothe® XP in dry eye model. • Superior retinal protection vs. oral lutein against blue light damage.Moderate myopia control with better ocular safety than atropine. • Rational formulation design harnesses natural product synergy for complex disease management The widespread usage of digital devices has been associated with a significant increase in the incidence of various screen-related ocular diseases, particularly dry eye disease (DED), blue light (BL)-induced retinal damage, and myopia progression. These conditions not only severely compromise visual function and quality of life but also pose a growing challenge to global public health systems. To move beyond the conventional approach of treating each disease separately, this work investigates a consolidated solution that leverages the multi-target properties of sea buckthorn seed oil (SBO) for synergistic treatment of multiple ocular conditions. A nano-lipid eye drop formulation loaded with sea buckthorn seed oil (SBO-NE) was developed to achieve synergistic therapeutic effects. The SBO-NE formulation exhibited excellent stability and ocular tolerability in rabbits. In vivo, SBO-NE exhibited multifaceted therapeutic potential in a DED model, including significant promotion of tear secretion, acceleration of corneal repair, and anti-inflammatory efficacy that exceeded that of Soothe® XP. Furthermore, superior protection against BL-induced retinal damage was demonstrated compared with oral lutein supplementation. In addition, SBO-NE treatment delayed myopia progression. Although less effective than atropine sulfate eye drops, SBO-NE elicited a significant delay without inducing the dry eye typically associated with atropine. In summary, these findings suggest that SBO-NE represents a promising multi-target therapeutic candidate with broad-spectrum efficacy across multiple ocular conditions associated with digital device exposure. Download: Download high-res image (189KB) Download: Download full-size image