Abstract
Purpose :
To evaluate efficacy and tolerability of a hyaluronic acid and medium chain triglycerides nanoemulsion containing povidone-iodine 0.6% (IODIM) in a 4-week treatment of dry eye patients.
Methods :
Twenty patients with quali-quantitative ocular surface alteration and tear film dysfunction were enrolled into a single center study. They received IODIM eye drops for 28 days, 2 drops/BID. The assessments included OSDI questionnaire, tear film stability (BUT), corneal-conjunctival staining and symptoms such as burning, ocular dryness, foreign body sensation, photophobia, ocular pain, watery eyes, tearing and were performed at baseline (T0), after 7 (T7) and 28 (T28) days of treatment. Tear production (Schirmer I test) was also assessed at T0 and at T28. Statistical analysis was conducted with Mann Whitney U-Test method and Student’s T-Test.
Results :
At the end of treatment, patients showed a significant improvement in most of the symptoms evaluated (burning, ocular dryness, foreign body sensation). Moreover, it was also recorded a statistically significant increase in BUT starting from T7 (T0 vs T7 p=0.0008; T7 vs T28 p<0.0001 e T0 vs T28 p<0.0001) as well as a statistically significant reduction in corneal and conjunctival staining (T7 vs T28 p<0.0001, T0 vs T28 p<0.0001).
Conclusions :
The 4-week treatment with IODIM, 2 drops/BID, in dry eye subjects was well tolerated and also efficacious in improving symptoms and reducing the extent of injury of the ocular surface as showed by the increase of BUT and the reduction of fluorescein staining.
This abstract was presented at the 2019 ARVO Annual Meeting, held in Vancouver, Canada, April 28 - May 2, 2019.