Acupuncture post-cataract surgery may benefit tear film stability
Patients who underwent acupuncture after having post-cataract surgery dry eye disease (DED) experienced statistically significant benefits to tear film stability compared to patients undergoing sham acupuncture, according to a study.
Patients (n = 90) were randomized 1:1 to receive true acupuncture (n = 44) or non-penetrating sham acupuncture (n = 46) twice weekly for 8 weeks and were followed for 12 weeks.
The estimated mean change from baseline in the noninvasive tear film break-up time (TFBUT) at week 8 and week 12 of patients treated with true acupuncture was 1.52 and 1.49, respectively. For sham acupuncture, the mean change was 0.77 and 0.81, respectively.
The mean change in the Ocular Surface Disease Index score at 8 weeks was -20.13 for true acupuncture group and -13.44 for sham acupuncture group. There was no statistically significant difference between the groups at week 12.
Reference
Kong X, Long J, Liu H, et al. Randomized, sham-controlled trial of acupuncture for post-cataract surgery dry eye disease. Complement Ther Clin Pract. 2022;49:101680. doi: 10.1016/j.ctcp.2022.101680. Epub 2022 Nov 2. PMID: 36347150.