Objective

2

To compare the clinical efficacy between penetrating needling of three eye acupoints combined with sodium hyaluronate eye drops and sodium hyaluronate eye drops alone for the treatment of dry eye.

Methods

2

A total of 156 patients (312 eyes) with dry eye were randomly assigned to an observation group and a control group

with 78 patients (156 eyes) in each group. The control group was treated with sodium hyaluronate eye drops

one drop per eye

four times daily

for 4 weeks. In addition to the sodium hyaluronate treatment

the observation group received penetrating needling of three eye acupoints. Acupoints included bilateral Cuanzhu (BL2)

Sizhukong (TE23)

Sibai (ST2)

and Jingming (BL1). Needling was performed once daily

four times a week

for 4 weeks. The subjective ocular symptom scores

neuropathic pain symptom inventory-eye (NPSI-Eye) scores

ocular surface disease index (OSDI) scores

corneal fluorescein staining (FL) scores

tear break-up time (BUT)

SchirmerⅠtest (SⅠT)

central tear meniscus height (TMH)

and tear levels of interleukin-6 (IL-6) and tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α) were evaluated before and after treatment in the two groups. Clinical efficacy was also compared between the two groups.

Results

2

After treatment

both groups showed significant improvements in subjective ocular symptom scores

NPSI-Eye scores

OSDI

scores

FL scores

and reductions in tear IL-6 and TNF-α levels (

P

<

0.01). Additionally

BUT

SⅠT

and TMH were increased significantly in both groups (

P

<

0.01). After treatment

the subjective ocular symptom scores

NPSI-Eye score

OSDI score

FL score

and tear levels of IL-6 and TNF-α in the observation group were lower than those in the control group (

P

<

0.01

P

<

0.05)

while BUT

SⅠT

and TMH were significantly improved compared to the control group (

P

<

0.01). The markedly effective rate and total effective rate in the observation group were 83.3% (65/78) and 100.0% (78/78)

respectively

which were higher than 52.6% (41/78

P

<

0.01) and 92.3% (72/78

P

<

0.05) in the control group.

Conclusion

2

The penetrating needling of three eye acupoints combined with sodium hyaluronate eye drops can effectively alleviate symptoms of dry eye

reduce inflammatory response

and has superior efficacy to sodium hyaluronate eye drops alone.