Abstract
Purpose :
To investigate changes of objective signs and ocular discomfort symptoms in patients affected by dry eye disease (DED) treated with a new commercially available tear substitute.
Methods :
A pilot study including 15 patients (6 males, 9 females; mean age 58.4±14.8 years) with mild-moderate DED was conducted. The patients were treated with a new commercially available tear substitute containing two natural polymers (sodium hyaluronate and xantham gum) and osmoprotectants (glycine and betaine). Patients were instructed to instill the study product 4 times daily for 2 months. Non-invasive ocular surface examination was carried out before (T0) and after treatment (T1) by means of Keratograph (Oculus, Germany) for the measurement of: i) tear meniscus height (TMH); ii) non-invasive break-up time (NIBUT); iii) infrared meibography of upper and lower eyelids (Pult scale); iv) ocular redness. During each visit, discomfort symptoms were scored by means of standardized patient evaluation of eye dryness (SPEED) questionnaire. The Wilcoxon test was used to compare changes of ocular parameters from T0 to T1. A P value equal or less than 0.05 was considered statistically significant.
Results :
All patients instilled regularly the eye drop reporting a good profile of tolerability. Compared to T0, SPEED score decreased significantly (from 16.0±3.8 to 7.0±3.2; P<0.001), while NIBUT value improved significantly at T1 (from 6.3±1.1 to 9.3±3.1 s; P=0.05). Furthermore, TMH and Pult score also improved after treatment, but to a lesser extent (respectively, from 0.244±0.028 to 0.332±0.080 mm, P=0.08 and from 1.3±0.5 to 1.5±0.6, P=0.3). Redness score did not change significantly during the study period (P=0.2).
Conclusions :
This novel tear substitute containing sodium hyluronate, xantham gum and osmoprotectants improved significantly ocular discomfort symptoms as well as tear film stability in patients with DED. A longer period of treatment could be useful to detect improvement in the other parameters.
This abstract was presented at the 2022 ARVO Annual Meeting, held in Denver, CO, May 1-4, 2022, and virtually.