The Efficacy of a New lubricating Eyedrop in a Lipid Vehicle for the Treatment of Dry Eye Disease

Abstract

Aim: To evaluate the efficacy and safety of the new lipid tear substitute VisuEvo® in patients with dry eye disease (DED). Methods: 19 patients with evaporative or iatrogenic DED were enrolled and evaluated at baseline, week 2 and week 6. After baseline, they were instructed to self-administer VisuEvo three times daily for the whole study duration. Tear break-Up Time (TBUT), Schirmer I, Ferning, osmolarity, cytokine and lipid expression, ocular surface staining, patient satisfaction, and OSDI score were measured. Results: During the study, TBUT progressively increased from 3.0 ± 1.9 sec at baseline to 6.4 ± 1.7 sec at final visit (P<0.0001), and OSDI progressively decreased from 39 ± 12 at baseline to 20 ± 15 at final visit (P<0.0001). Osmolarity significantly reduced from 328 ± 14 mOsm/L at baseline to 306 ± 14 mOsm/L at final visit (P=0.03). A progressive reduction of cytokine and lipid expression was shown, being significant for IFN-? (P=0.01) and sphingosine (P=0.01). No changes were shown for Schirmer Test, conjunctival and corneal staining. Safety profile was excellent as no adverse events occurred; patients were highly satisfied by treatment. Conclusion: VisuEvo is an effective and safe option for DED management.