Clinical Effect of Antioxidant Glasses Containing Extracts of Medicinal Plants in Patients with Dry Eye Disease: A Multi-Center, Prospective, Randomized, Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled Trial

• Published in: PloS one 2015-10, Vol.10 (10), p.e0139761-e0139761
• Main Authors: Choi, Won, Kim, Jae Chan, Kim, Won Soo, Oh, Han Jin, Yang, Jee Myung, Lee, Jee Bum, Yoon, Kyung Chul
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Adult; Analysis; Antioxidants; Antioxidants (Nutrients); Antioxidants - administration & dosage; Antioxidants - chemistry; Care and treatment; Cassia tora; Clinical trials; Comparative analysis; Cornea; Deoxyribonucleic acid; Disease control; DNA; Double-Blind Method; Double-blind studies; Dry eye syndromes; Dry Eye Syndromes - drug therapy; Eye diseases; Fatty acids; Female; Glass; Health aspects; Herbal medicine; Hospitals; Humans; Inflammation; Life assessment; Male; Medical schools; Medicinal plants; Middle Aged; Ophthalmology; Oxidative stress; Patients; Plant extracts; Plant Extracts - administration & dosage; Plant Extracts - chemistry; Plants, Medicinal - chemistry; Polyphenols; Rehmannia glutinosa; Tearing
• ISSN: 1932-6203; 1932-6203
• DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0139761

To investigate the clinical efficacy and safety of wearable antioxidant glasses containing extracts of medicinal plants in patients with mild dry eye disease (DED). Fifty patients with mild DED were randomly assigned to wear either extracts of antioxidant medicinal plants containing (N = 25) or placebo glasses (N = 25). Patients wore the glasses for 15 min three times daily. The ocular surface disease index (OSDI) score, tear film break up time (BUT), and Schirmer's test were evaluated and compared within the group and between the groups at baseline, 4 weeks, and 8 weeks after treatment. OSDI score and tear film BUT were significantly improved in the treatment group at 4 and 8 weeks after wearing glasses (all P < 0.001). Compared to the placebo group, the OSDI scores were significantly lower in the treatment group at 8 weeks (P = 0.007). The results of the Schirmer's test showed significant improvement in the treatment group at 4 weeks (P = 0.035), however there were no significant differences between the other groups or within the groups. No adverse events were reported during the study. Antioxidant glasses containing extracts of medicinal plants were effective in improving in DED both subjectively and objectively. Wearing antioxidants glasses might be a safe and adjunctive therapeutic option for DED. ISRCTN registry 71217488.