Dry eye disease (DED) is a common issue after cataract surgery and can lead to discomfort and lower patient satisfaction. It often causes poor tear production and faster tear break-up, which can reduce vision quality.
A recent study published in Diagnostics suggests that 0.1% cyclosporin A cationic emulsion (CsA-CE) may help treat DED after cataract surgery.
Researchers analyzed the medical records of patients who had undergone routine cataract surgery. They looked at both subjective and objective signs of dry eye before surgery and one month after. These included tear volume, tear film stability, redness in the eyes, meibomian gland structure, and the thickness of the eye’s lipid layer. All patients received standard eye drops—0.5% moxifloxacin and 1% prednisolone acetate—four times a day after surgery.
Patients were split into two groups: one used CsA-CE eye drops starting a week after surgery (94 people), and the other did not (91 people). Both groups had similar dry eye conditions before surgery.
CsA-CE Group Showed Notable Improvements
The group using CsA-CE saw improvements in several key areas. Their scores on the ocular surface disease index—a measure of dry eye symptoms—fell from 19.26 to 14.58, showing a meaningful reduction in discomfort. Tear film stability also improved, with tear break-up time increasing from 10.97 to 13.00 seconds. Lipid layer thickness, which helps prevent evaporation of tears, rose from 70.29 to 86.41 nanometers.
In contrast, the control group showed increased redness in one part of the eye, but no other significant changes.
Both groups showed some increase in redness in other parts of the eye. However, CsA-CE users still showed better overall results for tear film and comfort.
“CsA-CE appears to improve tear film stability, strengthen the lipid layer, and protect the eye’s surface,” the researchers wrote. “This suggests it could be a useful additional treatment to reduce dry eye symptoms and improve patient comfort after surgery.”
The researchers emphasized the need for more long-term studies with larger patient groups and better study designs. They said this will help confirm whether CsA-CE should become a standard treatment for post-operative dry eye.
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