The Effect of Three Eye Care Methods on the Severity of Lagophthalmos in Intensive Care Patients: A Randomized Controlled Clinical Trial.

Tahere Nikseresht,Mansour Rezaei,Alireza Khatony,Marta Sacchetti

doi:10.1155/2021/6348987

Tahere Nikseresht, Mansour Rezaei + Show 2 more

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https://doi.org/10.1155/2021/6348987

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Abstract

Background Patients admitted to intensive care units are exposed to a variety of eye injuries such as lagophthalmos, which can lead to blindness. There is conflicting evidence regarding the effectiveness of different eye protection methods, and evaluations are ongoing. Therefore, this study was performed to compare the effect of “polyethylene cover,” “polyethylene cover plus artificial tear drops,” and “polyethylene cover plus Lubratex eye ointment” on the severity of lagophthalmos. Methods A total of 156 patients connected to ventilators were included in this clinical trial using the convenience sampling method. They were randomly divided into three groups: “polyethylene cover,” polyethylene cover plus artificial tear drops,” and “polyethylene cover plus Lubratex eye ointment.” In each group, one eye was regarded as control and the other eye as intervention. The control eye received routine interventions, including washing with normal saline. The eyes were examined daily by an ophthalmologist for 5 days for the occurrence of lagophthalmos. Results There was no statistically significant difference in the severity of lagophthalmos among the three groups “polyethylene cover,” “polyethylene cover plus artificial tear drop,” and “polyethylene cover plus Lubratex eye ointment.” However, clinically the severity of lagophthalmos was lower in the “polyethylene cover plus artificial tear drops” group than in the other two groups. Conclusion The results showed that the combination of polyethylene cover and artificial tears drops can be clinically effective in reducing the severity of lagophthalmos. Therefore, the use of this method is recommended for patients admitted to the intensive care unit. Similar studies are recommended.

Highlights

Patients admitted to intensive care units are exposed to a variety of eye injuries, including lagophthalmos, for a variety of reasons such as the use of sedatives and muscle relaxants, metabolic causes, and mechanical ventilation [1,2,3,4]
Kam and Mercieca reported the incidence of chemosis and lagophthalmos in the intensive care unit (ICU) patients to be 75% and 80–90%, respectively [3, 5]. erefore, it is important to check the position of eyelids and their closure and openness in critically ill ICU patients [1]
Various studies have been performed on the effect of eye care on the incidence of lagophthalmos [2,3,4, 6]. ere are various methods to protect the eyes in ICU patients, including the use of eye drops and ointments, the creation of a moisture Journal of Ophthalmology chamber with normal saline-soaked gauze, the creation of a closed chamber using polyethylene or swimming goggles, and the adhesion of eyelids [9]

Summary

Background

Patients admitted to intensive care units are exposed to a variety of eye injuries such as lagophthalmos, which can lead to blindness. ere is conflicting evidence regarding the effectiveness of different eye protection methods, and evaluations are ongoing. erefore, this study was performed to compare the effect of “polyethylene cover,” “polyethylene cover plus artificial tear drops,” and “polyethylene cover plus Lubratex eye ointment” on the severity of lagophthalmos. Erefore, this study was performed to compare the effect of “polyethylene cover,” “polyethylene cover plus artificial tear drops,” and “polyethylene cover plus Lubratex eye ointment” on the severity of lagophthalmos. Ey were randomly divided into three groups: “polyethylene cover,” polyethylene cover plus artificial tear drops,” and “polyethylene cover plus Lubratex eye ointment.”. Ere was no statistically significant difference in the severity of lagophthalmos among the three groups “polyethylene cover,” “polyethylene cover plus artificial tear drop,” and “polyethylene cover plus Lubratex eye ointment.”. Clinically the severity of lagophthalmos was lower in the “polyethylene cover plus artificial tear drops” group than in the other two groups. E results showed that the combination of polyethylene cover and artificial tears drops can be clinically effective in reducing the severity of lagophthalmos. Erefore, the use of this method is recommended for patients admitted to the intensive care unit.

Introduction

Materials and Methods

Results

Limitations