Purpose:
The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effect of Patanol® on tear film stability in normals.
Methods:
Eleven normal subjects underwent baseline examinations including tear film break–up time (TFBUT). Subjects received bilateral treatment with either Patanol® or Tears Naturale® II. TFBUT was then measured 5, 10 and 15 minutes after drop instillation. Twenty–four hours later subjects were crossed–over to receive bilateral treatment with the remaining study medication. All study procedures conducted at baseline were repeated.
Results:
The following table shows mean TFBUT in eyes treated with Patanol® versus Tears Naturale® II.
No statistically significant differences in TFBUT were observed at any time point after drop instillation.
Conclusions:
The data indicates that in normal subjects Patanol® has a similar effect to artificial tears on tear film stability, suggesting that Patanol® does not have a drying effect on the ocular surface.
Keywords: cornea: tears/tear film/dry eye • cornea: clinical science • clinical (human) or epidemiologic studies: treatment/prevention assessment/controlled clinical trials