Proxymetacaine response may help differentiate between DED, ocular neuropathic pain

Use of topical Proxymetacaine in patients with ocular surface disease may help eyecare practitioners categorize dry eye disease (DED) and ocular neuropathic pain (ONP), according to a study.

In this study, 21 patients with symptoms of DED were treated with Proxymetacaine Hydrochloride 2%. Thirty seconds after instillation, subjective response was used to categorize patients as DED, ONP, or mixed DED/ONP. Primary DED was identified in 12 patients and ONP in 9 patients.

Amongst the 12 patients recruited from ophthalmologic outpatient clinics, 43% had features of neuropathic pain compared to 44% of patients (N = 9) in primary care optometric services.

Reference
Forristal MT, Stephenson KAJ. Differentiating primary dry eye disease from ocular neuropathic pain: implications for symptom management. Clin Exp Optom. 2022; doi: 10.1080/08164622.2022.2111199. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 36004515.