The Usage of Different Hyaluronic-Acid-Containing Artificial Tears and the Treatment Outcome of Intense Pulsed Light Therapy for Dry Eye Disease: A Retrospective Cohort Study

Abstract

In this study, we aimed to investigate the effect of different hyaluronic acid (HA)-containing artificial tears on dry eye disease (DED) treatment in combination with intense pulsed light (IPL) therapy. A retrospective cohort study was conducted, and the participants received IPL therapy and HA-containing artificial tears. There were 42 and 40 eyes in the 0.10% and 0.15% HA groups after selection, respectively. The main outcomes were the postoperative non-invasive tear break-up time (NITBUT), Schirmer II test results, ocular surface stain, and numbers of DED-related symptoms. A generalized linear model was utilized to produce the adjusted odds ratio (aOR) and 95% confidence interval (CI) of the main outcomes between groups. At the three-month follow-up, the NITBUT was significantly higher in the 0.15% HA group (p = 0.023), and the NITBUT recovery was also significantly better in the 0.15% HA group compared to the 0.10% HA group (p = 0.039). The multiple DED-related symptoms significantly correlated with no DED symptom improvement in both the 0.10% and 0.15% HA groups (both p < 0.05), while the low pre-treatment NITBUT was marginally related to no DED symptom improvement in the 0.10% HA group (p = 0.047). A low NITBUT and Schirmer II test result correlated with no DED symptom improvement in both the groups (all p < 0.05). In conclusion, the application of 0.10% and 0.15% HA-containing artificial tears revealed similar effects to IPL therapy for DED.

Keywords: Schirmer test; dry eye disease; hyaluronic acid; intense pulsed light; tear break-up time.

Figure 1

The trend of non-invasive tear break-up times between the two groups. HA: hyaluronic acid; NITBUT: non-invasive tear break-up time. * denotes significant difference between the two groups. A better NITBUT recovery was found in the 0.15% HA group.

Figure 2

The trend of Schirmer II test results between the two groups. HA: hyaluronic acid. Similar improvements in the Schirmer II test result were found in the two groups.