[The clinical therapic efficiency of anethol trithione on dry eye]

To investigate anethol trithione therapic efficiency on dry eye.

It was a prospective random double-blind controlled study. Eighty cases diagnosed dry eye in Ocular Surface Out-patient Clinic of Xiamen University Affiliated Xiamen Eye Center from 2006 to 2008 were divided into two groups: anethol trithione group and control group, 40 cases in each group. Every group was then divided into two subgroups: weak dry eye subgroup,middle and severe dry eye subgroup. All groups had been added with 0.05% refresh drops. All patients had been detected and evaluated by subjective symptoms of dry eye, visual acuity, corneal fluorescent staining (F1), break-up time (BUT) and Schirmer I test (SIT) at pretherapy and 3, 7, 28 d of post-therapy. All groups had been compared and analyzed by F test and sample mean difference (SMD) or median difference (MD) comparison between pre-therapy and post-therapy.

Except of tear and red eye,the other subjective symptoms of dry eye, Fl, BUT and SIT of weak dry eye subgroup of both groups had been improved at 7 d after therapy. Only those of middle and severe dry eye subgroup of anethol trithione group had been improved at 7 d after therapy compared with those of pretherapy: SMD = 0.96 (visual tiredness), 1.26 (dry and unsmooth sensation), 0.82 (foreign body sensation), 1.28 (burning sensation), 1.05 ( photophobia), 1.48 (pain); MD = 0.30 (visual acuity), 4.00 (Fl), 5.00 (BUT), 5.00 (SIT) [F = 15.30 (visual tiredness), 15.68 (dry and unsmooth sensation), 13.56 (foreign body sensation), 20.91 (burning sensation), 18.90 (photophobia), 27.22 (pain), 10.54 (visual acuity),188.21 (F1), 261.76 (BUT), 269.05 (SIT); P < 0.05]. Those of middle and severe dry eye subgroup of control group hadn't significantly been improved at 28 d after therapy: SMD = 0.10 (visual tiredness), 0.16 (dry and unsmooth sensation), 0.09 (foreign body sensation), 0.38 (burning sensation), 0.24 (photophobia), 0.36 (pain), 0.23 (red eye); MD = 0.10 (visual acuity), 0.50 (Fl), 0.50 (BUT), 0.50 (SIT) [F = 1.76 (visual tiredness), 1.61 (dry and unsmooth sensation), 1.02 (foreign body sensation), 2.39 (burning sensation), 2.42 (photophobia), 2.73 (pain), 2.55 (red eye), 1.46 (visual acuity), 2.35 (Fl), 2.90 (BUT), 2.76 (SIT); P > 0.05]. SIT of anethol trithione group had been improved more significantly after therapy (F = 13.77, P < 0.05).

Anethol trithione could significantly improve middle and severe dry eye patients' symptoms and signs whose lacrimal gland function survival and it has clinical application value.