In-Office thermal technology (TearCare) 5 month treatment  superior for dry eye treatment

A study presented at the American Academy of Ophthalmology meeting compared the TearCare system with cyclosporine ophthalmic emulsion (Restasis) for the treatment of dry eye disease and meibomian gland dysfunction (MGD).  In a video, Preeya K. Gupta, MD, of Triangle Eye Consultants in Raleigh, North Carolina, discussed the results. She said the 345 subjects enrolled in this prospective randomized mass trial, in 19 sites across the U.S. were randomized to TearCare or branded Restasis groups. Those in the TearCare arm received two TearCare treatments, one at baseline and then again at 5 months. Everyone in the Restasis treatment arm was dosed with one drop twice a day. The patients were checked on to make sure they were adhering to the medication, as this was a clinical trial. Results found that TearCare was superior and offered a greater improvement across all time points – in tear break-up time, conjunctival staining, meibomian gland secretion score, and this was similar in both males and females.  It was exciting to see that TearCare was superior to Restasis in all of those clinical signs. As clinicians, those are things that we’re looking for on a regular basis in our patients, and really are offering meaningful information in terms of understanding how our patients can improve with interventional MGD therapy. 

Edited by Dawn Wilcox, BSN, RN

Source: Transcript of MedPage Today video, December 11, 2023; see source transcript