Abstract
Purpose: :
Dry eye syndrome is at times associated with visual complaints due to the rapid destabilisation of the tear film leading to decreased optical quality of the corneal front surface. Hence, lubricating eyedrops by stabilising the tear film may produce vision improvement. However, standard visual acuity measurement without time limit cannot capture the full time dependent loss of performance associated with the destabilisation of the tear film post blink. The aim of the study was to measure the effect of Systane Ultra & Optive eyedrops on visual performance (conventional and time controlled) in mild and moderate dry eye sufferers.
Methods: :
The test population of 54 dry eye sufferers was defined by an OSDI score of at least 13 with visual complaints. At enrolment the subjects were randomised to use Systane Ultra or Optive eyedrops at least four times a day for four weeks. High (90%) and low (10%) contrast LogMAR visual acuities were measured at high luminance (250cd/m2) without time constraint and with sub second time control using validated test procedures. In addition, symptomatology was monitored with the OSDI questionnaire and subjective acceptance was recorded in terms of subjective vision, comfort & dryness symptoms.
Results: :
Eyedrop usage revealed good overall compliance throughout the study. A significant improvement in symptoms was recorded with both study eyedrops (p<0.001): the average OSDI score decreased by approximately 20 points for each eyedrop and respectively 26% and 37% of subjects became asymptomatic after 4 weeks of use of Optive and Systane Ultra. Subjective vision and comfort scores were statistically (p<0.001) and clinically (10 points) significantly higher than at baseline for both eyedrops. Static and time controlled visual performance, for high contrast optotypes, showed statistically (p=0.046&0.022) and clinically significantly greater improvements from baseline for Systane Ultra than for Optive; the amplitude of the difference was greater under the time controlled condition.
Conclusions: :
The assessment revealed significant improvements in subjective acceptance (vision and comfort) and decrease in symptomatology for both eyedrops. Further, for Systane Ultra, the visual performance findings also demonstrated a beneficial effect of the repeated usage of the eyedrop on functional vision.
Clinical Trial: :
http://www.clinicaltrials.gov NCT01051804
Keywords: cornea: tears/tear film/dry eye • visual acuity