Abstract
Purpose: :
To analyze the literature pertaining to the various treatment options for individuals with dry eye syndrome secondary to Sjogren’s syndrome. Dry eye is a very common condition and is present in a large number of individuals with Sjogren’s Syndrome. However, currently there is no standard regimen of treatment options for individuals with this condition.
Methods: :
Electronic searches of articles with English language abstracts published since 1964 were conducted in Pub Med and CENTRAL, the Cochrane Collaboration’s database. These were augmented by a search of the references of the articles that were initially accessed. Evidence grades (A, strong; B, moderate; C, weak; I, insufficient) were assigned to the evidence of the different treatment options.
Results: :
Based on the keyword search of Sjogren’s Syndrome 9942 abstracts were initially accessed and reviewed. In addition, keyword search using dry eye yielded 3409 abstracts. These are current as of October of 2008. From these a total of 472 papers were reviewed and from these 42 papers were found to be relevant.
Conclusions: :
The current literature on dry eye due to Sjogren’s syndrome includes several articles that provide strong evidence in support of therapy recommendations. These include topical lubricants, oral secretogogues, topical anti-inflammatory therapy using corticosteroids and cyclosporine , autologous serum and punctal plugs. From the current body of literature, it appears that hydroxychloroquine is the treatment of choice for Sjogren’s syndrome associated inflammation, however there is currently no evidence supporting its efficacy in the treatment of dry eye.
Keywords: cornea: tears/tear film/dry eye • lacrimal gland • autoimmune disease