Abstract
Purpose: :
The leading cause of discontinued contact lens use is ocular dryness. Various other-the-counter rewetting solutions are available to provide temporary relief of this symptom. However, rewetting solutions are known to have a short dwell time, leading to the necessity of frequent dosing throughout the day. A product designed to provide longer term relief is Lacrisert®, a 1.27 mm by 3.5 mm rod of hydroxypropyl cellulose that is placed in the cul-de-sac of the eye. The purpose of this study was to determine the acceptability / ease of use of Lacrisert®, its duration of activity, and its effect on the signs and symptoms of dry eye in contact lens wearers.
Methods: :
30 contact lens wearers with a history of dry eye were enrolled into this 2-visit, open label study. Questionnaires were completed by patients at Visit 1 (Day 0) and after 4 weeks of QD dosing at Visit 2 (Day 28). Subjects were asked to evaluate their symptoms according to standardized scales, complete the OSDI quality-of-life questionnaire, and report on duration of action of the therapy used within the past month. Investigators performed a slit lamp biomicroscopy, assessed tear film break-up time (TFBUT) and corneal / conjunctival staining and measured BCVA at Visits 1 and 2. At Visit 2, investigators completed a questionnaire evaluating the effect of Lacrisert® on the signs and symptoms of dry eye, duration of action, and ease of use of this product.
Results: :
30 patients completed the study and reported significant improvements in dryness (p = < 0.0001) and grittiness (p = 0.008) after 4 weeks of dosing with Lacrisert® when compared to baseline. No significant differences were observed in the OSDI score. Mean TFBUT increased from 2.98 ± 1.62 sec. to 4.08 ± 1.60 sec. (p < 0.0001) and mean corneal / conjunctival staining decreased from 1.21 ± 0.69 to 0.79 ± 0.78 units (p < 0.0001). Investigators reported that 70.0% of subjects experienced an improvement of dry eye symptoms and 53.3% experienced an improvement in dry eye signs while wearing contact lenses. It was also reported that Lacrisert® was longer lasting 93.3% of the time when compared to rewetting solutions.
Conclusions: :
The data in this study show that Lacrisert® relieves the signs and symptoms of dry eye in contact lens wearers with a history of dry eye. Patients experienced significant improvements in tear film stability as well as ocular surface damage. Lacrisert® may be longer-lasting than other available treatments.
Keywords: cornea: tears/tear film/dry eye • contact lens