Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Clinical Trial
. 1999 Jul;83(7):767-70.
doi: 10.1136/bjo.83.7.767.

New treatment of dry eye: the effect of calcium ointment through eyelid skin delivery

K Tsubota  1 , Y Monden, Y Yagi, E Goto, S Shimmura
Affiliations
Clinical Trial

New treatment of dry eye: the effect of calcium ointment through eyelid skin delivery

K Tsubota et al. Br J Ophthalmol. 1999 Jul.

Abstract

Aim: To demonstrate the efficacy of a petrolatum based calcium ointment applied to the lower lid skin in the management of dry eye.

Methods: In a controlled double masked study, the effects of water free petrolatum ointment containing calcium carbonate (10% w/w) on tear functional factors and ocular surface vital staining in dry eye patients were observed. Petrolatum without calcium carbonate served as control. Patients were instructed to place ointment to the lower lid skin twice a day. Evaluation of subjective complaints, fluorescein and rose bengal staining patterns, blink rate, tear evaporation and tear break up time (BUT) were performed before and 3 months after treatment. In order to demonstrate the movement of petrolatum from the skin to the tear film, petrolatum containing 1% sodium fluorescein was placed on the lower lid of four healthy volunteers, and the concentration of fluorescein in the tear film was followed up to 6 hours using an anterior fluorometer.

Results: Subjective symptoms significantly improved in both the calcium group (p=0.001) and control (p=0.012), while only the calcium group demonstrated a significant improvement in fluorescein (p=0.043), rose bengal (p=0.021) scores, and blink rate (p=0.004). Tear evaporation also significantly decreased in both the calcium group (p=0.0004) and control (0.043). BUT did not improve in either group.

Conclusion: Petrolatum based calcium ointment significantly improved symptoms, tear dynamics, and ocular surface staining in dry eye patients. However, some of the therapeutic effects may be due to lipids in the petrolatum vehicle. Petrolatum applied to the lower lid skin is an effective drug delivery system for slowly releasing drugs to the ocular surface.

PubMed Disclaimer

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Application of calcium ointment to the lower lid using a cotton tip applicator.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Fluorescein levels in tear film of four healthy volunteers following application of 1% fluorescein ointment to the lower eye lid (n=4) (mean (SE)).
See this image and copyright information in PMC

Similar articles

See all similar articles

Cited by

See all "Cited by" articles

References

    1. Graefes Arch Clin Exp Ophthalmol. 1989;227(2):184-7 - PubMed
    1. Invest Ophthalmol Vis Sci. 1986 Aug;27(8):1261-8 - PubMed
    1. Am J Ophthalmol. 1991 Jan 15;111(1):106-8 - PubMed
    1. Annu Rev Cell Biol. 1990;6:461-91 - PubMed
    1. Am J Ophthalmol. 1991 Jun 15;111(6):763-5 - PubMed

Publication types