Treatment for severe dry eye shows promising results in clinical trial

New research published in Translational Vision Science and Technology has reported positive results from a clinical trial involving a treatment for severe dry eye.
 
The treatment uses an enzyme called DNase, which breaks up nucleic acid-based material on the surface of the eye.

A study involving 47 patients with severe dry eye disease involved patients being assigned either eye drops containing DNase or drops without the enzyme.

One drop of the solution was administered to each eye four times a day for eight weeks.

At the end of the trial period, researchers found that the group who received the intervention had a statistically significant and clinically meaningful reduction in corneal damage compared to the control group.

Dr Sandeep Jain, from the University of Illinois at Chicago College of Medicine, said that trial participants who used eye drops with DNase reported less eye discomfort and their corneas were healthier.

“The data from this early clinical trial suggests that DNase eye drops may be safe and effective for treating severe dry eye and we look forward to conducting larger randomised trials to definitively prove its efficacy,” he said.

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