Treatment with Tear Care improves quality of life for dry eye disease patients

Patients who undergo Tear Care treatment experience a reduction in symptoms of dry eye disease (DED), improved tear breakup time (TBUT) and meibomian gland secretion score, and a trend towards improved reading speed and quality of life measures post-treatment, according to a study presented at the ASCRS Annual Meeting 2023.

The results of this study are promising, but further research is needed to elucidate the impact of DED on functional metrics. The findings suggest that Tear Care treatment may be an effective option for patients with DED and meibomian gland dysfunction.

The study was prospective and involved administering 3 questionnaires, 3 out-loud reading tests, and a clinical exam prior to and 1 month after Tear Care treatment. The 3 questionnaires included the OSDI, NEI VF 25, and Fatigue Severity Scale, while the 3 out-loud reading tests included MNRead, iRest, and Wilkins. The clinical exam involved assessing TBUT, corneal staining, and meibomian gland secretion score MGSS.

The results showed a significant improvement in the mean pre-treatment OSDI score of 46.1 to 29.8 post-treatment (P = 0.04). The MGSS also showed improvement from 4.8 to 6.5 post-treatment (P = 0.05). TBUT improved from 5.1 to 6.7 seconds post-treatment (P = 0.02), while corneal fluorescein staining improved from 0.56 to 0.26 post-treatment (P = 0.004). A trend toward improved fatigue severity score and all reading score measures was also noted, although further studies are needed to confirm this finding.

Reference
Gupta PK, et al. Impact of Tear Care on Reading Speed in Patients with Dry Eye Disease. Presented at: ASCRS Annual Meeting 2023.