Effects in lacrimal plug treatment for severe dry eye on vision-related quality of life

Abstract

Objective To evaluate the effects in lacrimal plug treatment of severe dry eye on vision-related quality of life. Methods Forty cases (60 eyes) of patients with severe dry eyes were di-vided into two groups randomly. One group received SmartPlugTM lacrimal plug which located in inferior punctum and the other group received artificial lacrima for routine treatment, both group combined with Diclofenac sodium eye drops. Schirmer's test, tear film break-up time, corneal fluorescein staining scores, personal symptoms scores, and vision-related quality of life scores before and after treatment for 3 months and 6 months were captured and compared in two groups. Results There were no significant different in Schirmer's test, tear film break-up time, corneal fluorescein staining scores, personal symptoms scores and vision-related quality of life scores between two groups before the treatment (all P ≥0.05). While after the different treatment for 3 months and 6 months, all the observed parametres showed significant differences (P <0.05), furthermore the experimental group was obviously improvement than that in the control group. Conclusions Lacrimal plug treatment can obviously improve symptoms and vision-related quality of life in severe dry eye patients. Key words: Serious dry eye; Lacrimal plug; Vision-related quality of life; Schirmer's test; Corneal fluorescence staining