Clinical Investigation Of The Ocular Surface In Dry Eye Patients After Treatment With Artificial Lubricant Drops

Purpose.To investigate the subjective complaints,dry eye-related examinations,tear film quality and corneal aberration changes in dry eye patients after treatment with artificial eye drops.Methods.Thirty mild to moderate dry eye patients treated with 0.1%sodium hyaluronate eye drops(HYCOSAN,EUSAN GmbH Co.,Germany)and twenty two comparable dry eye patients were recruited as controls.The subjective complaints and the results of best corrected visual acuity,tear film breakup time,Shirmer I test,and corneal FL staining should be recorded before treatment to assess severity of dry eye.Anterior corneal aberrations over 3mm and 5mm analytical zones including total,3rd to 5th high order aberrations,spherical aberration,and vertical and horizontal coma obtained from corneal topography with a CSO topography system(C.S.O.SRL Modi,Italy)data at baseline and 2 weeks after treatment were evaluated.Statistical analysis was performed with SPSS software version 19.0.The Zernike coefficients and the relevant absolute values(root mean square,RMS)were both analyzed.Results.The proportion of patients who suffered from eye dryness/burn/foreignbody sensation dropped from 83.3%to 36.7%(p<0.001)after treatment.And the rate of Vision disturbance(blur/discomfort/night vision)after treatment also notably decreased from 70%to 30%(p<0.001).The tear film breakup time after treatment was 6.27 ±1.20 s,significantly longer than the baseline level(4.93 ± 1.31 s,t =-7.345,and p<0.001)and that in the control group(5.18± 1.05 s,t =3.386,and p<0.001).The corneal punctuate FL positive staining rate significantly decreased after 2 weeks of treatment,from 60%to 16.7%compared with the baseline(p<0.001).For 3mm zone,trefoils,V-coma,H-coma terms,and 3rd and 5th HOAs were significantly decreased(p<0.05)in the treatment group.For 5mm zone,instillation of eye drops reduced H-coma,SA terms,3rd to 5th orders,and total HOAs all showed a significant decrease(p<0.05).The root mean square analysis of the Zernike terms also showed similar statistical results.For control group,all individual terms and totalHOAs did not have significant changes over 3mm and 5mm zones(p>0.05).Conclusions.Treatment with artificial eye drops can effectively ease the symptom of dry eye,decline the corneal FL staining rate,extend the tear film breakup time and improve the corneal optical quality of dry eye patients by ameliorating the HOAs of anterior corneal surface.