Abstract
Purpose.
This study evaluated the efficacy of topical cyclosporine A 0.05% treatment with impression cytology in dry eye patients.
Methods.
Forty eyes of 40 patients with dry eye were included. Schirmer, tear break-up time, and Ocular Surface Disease Index (OSDI) scores and goblet cell densities were noted before and after 6 months of topical cyclosporine A treatment. Patients were graded clinically and biomicroscopically as follows: grade 1, 12 patients; grade 2, 18; and grade 3, 10 patients.
Results.
Mean age was 57.1±11.8 (23.0–80.0) years. A total of 36 (90%) of the patients were female and 4 (10%) were male. Mean Schirmer test value was 3.2±1.6 (0.0–8.0) mm in the beginning and was 8.4±4.3 (1.0–19.0) mm after 6 months of cyclosporine A topical treatment (p=0.00). At the first visit, mean tear break-up time was 4.4±1.8 (2.0–8.0) seconds. It increased to 11.8±4.8 (2.0–20.0) seconds at the end of the sixth month (p=0.00). Mean clinical grading was 1.9±0.8 (1.0–3.0) and this value regressed to 0.8±1.2 (0.0–3.0) after the treatment (p=0.00). Mean OSDI score was 30.0±11.7 (9.0–50.0) before the treatment and 21.3±11.0 (4.0–47.0) after the treatment (p=0.00). Mean goblet cell density of all cases was 12.3±8.7 before the treatment (2.0–28.0). It increased to 33.0±25.4 (6–70) after the treatment (p=0.04).
Conclusions.
Topical cyclosporine A treatment is effective in grade 1 and grade 2 dry eye patients but results are poor in grade 3 patients.
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