Acupuncture for aqueous deficiency dry eye: a randomized controlled trial.

Objectives: To compare the clinical efficacy and safety of acupuncture and sodium hyaluronate eye drop in the treatment of aqueous deficiency dry eye.

Methods: A total of 60 patients (120 eyes) with aqueous deficiency dry eye were randomly divided into an observation group (30 cases, 1 case dropped out) and a control group (30 cases, 1 case dropped out). In the control group, sodium hyaluronate eye drop were used, one drop at a time, 4 times a day, for 14 consecutive days. In the observation group, acupuncture was applied at bilateral Shangjingming (Extra), Cuanzhu (BL 2), Sizhukong (TE 23), Taiyang (EX-HN 5), and Tongziliao (GB 1) , once a day, treatment for 6 days with the interval of 1 day was required, for 14 consecutive days. The tear meniscus height (TMH), Schirmer Ⅰ test (SⅠT), ocular surface disease index (OSDI) score, non-invasive tear break-up time (NIBUT), and corneal fluorescein sodium staining (FLS) score were compared between the two groups before and after treatment, and the safety of the treatment of the two groups was observed.

Results: Compared with those before treatment, after treatment, TMH, SⅠT and NIBUT were increased (<0.01, <0.05), and FLS scores were decreased (<0.01) in the two groups; the score of OSDI was reduced (<0.01) in the observation group. After treatment, in the observation group, TMH and SⅠT were higher than those in the control group (<0.01), and the score of OSDI was lower than that in the control group (<0.01). No adverse reactions and adverse events were observed in the two groups.

Conclusions: Acupuncture and sodium hyaluronate eye drop can both effectively treat aqueous deficiency dry eye, acupuncture has obvious advantages in improving TMH and basic tear secretion, and reducing the subjective symptoms of patients. Acupuncture for dry eye is safe.