Short Term Results of Trial of Topical Insulin for Treatment of Dry Eyes in Diabetics.
OBJECTIVES To assess the short term effects of topical insulin (TI) 1 unit/drop 4 times per day for 4 weeks on the symptoms and signs of diabetic with dry eye disease (DED) METHODS In this randomized, double blind interventional study, diabetics with DED aged 18 to 60 years were randomly assigned to TI or standard artificial tears (SAT) Baseline Ocular Surface Disease Index (OSDI) Schirmer I test (ST) tear break up time (TBUT) and ocular Sjogren's International Collaborative Clinical Alliance (SICCA) score were compared 4 weeks after treatment. RESULTS A total of 160 participants (involving 320 eyes) received either TI (n=80) or SAT (n=80) After 4 weeks of treatment, a significant number of participants in both TI and SAT groups showed improvement in their OSDI score, 66% and 63% respectively (P=0.0001) but were not significantly better than each other (P=0.453) However, most participants in both groups showed worsening of ST and TBUT (P>0.05) Most of the participants in both groups showed no change in their ocular SICCA score (P>0.05) CONCLUSION The study has shown a significant and similar improvement in the OSDI score for TI 1 unit/drop four times daily and SAT in treating diabetics with DED. Further research is required to understand the long term effects of TI on the ocular surface.
Eye contact lens