Short-term changes in tear film stability and tear volume fol-lowing the application of various DED management options in a healthy young population

Abstract

Determine short-term changes in tear film volume and stability after various treat-ments for dry eye disease in healthy participants. Methods: 36 healthy participants aged from 18-35 years were recruited for a single-session examination and randomly assigned to one of three treatment groups (1:1:1 treatment, 1:1 eye): Group 1 (artificial tears ‘Comfort Drops’), Group 2 (eyelid wipes ‘Systane Lid Wipes’), and Group 3 (ocu-lar bath ‘Acuaiss’). Tear Meniscus Height (TMH) was assessed at baseline, 2, 5, 10, 15, and 20 minutes, and Non-Invasive Break-Up Time (NIBUT) at baseline, 2, 10, and 20 minutes, all using the OCULUS Keratograph 5M by one examiner. Results: Of the ini-tially recruited participants, 35 were analyzed; one was excluded for reflex tearing. Group 1 (n=12) showed a significant TMH increase at 2 minutes compared to 10 and 20 minutes (Friedman, p=0.004; Bonferroni, p≤0.028). Group 3 (n=12) showed a signif-icant increase at 2 and 5 minutes compared to baseline and decrease at 10 minutes against 2 and 5 minutes (Friedman, p<0.001; Bonferroni, p≤0.034). Group 2 (n=11) showed no significant changes over time (Friedman, p=0.108). NIBUT showed no sig-nificant differences at any time point in any group (Friedman, p≥0.231). Basal TMH differed between groups (ANOVA, p=0.048), but post-hoc analysis found no signifi-cance (Bonferroni, all p≥0.088). No significant differences in TMH at other time points (Kruskal-Wallis/ANOVA, p≥0.265) or in NIBUT between groups (Krus-kal-Wallis/ANOVA, p=0.108) were found. Conclusion: In healthy participants, artifi-cial tears and ocular baths temporarily increase TMH, while eyelid wipes don´t. Nei-ther has an immediate impact on NIBUT