Abstract: SS dry eye, literature review

Ho hum. This is one of those studies that I sort of feel obliged to post since they happened, but which don't actually add anything of value whatsoever. Yes, we all know about Restasis and artificial tears and that Salagen and Evoxac are not remarkable for helping the eyes. Next please.

Treatment of Sjögren's Syndrome-Associated Dry Eye An Evidence-Based Review.

BACKGROUND: Outcomes-based review of reported treatment options for patients with dry eye secondary to Sjögren's syndrome (SS).

CLINICAL RELEVANCE: Dry eye affects many individuals worldwide. Significant proportion of patients with dry eye has underlying SS, a progressive autoimmune condition. The few suggested guidelines for the treatment of dry eye are mostly based on severity of symptoms and/or clinical findings rather than on outcomes analysis, and do not differentiate SS from other causes of dry eye. METHODS AND

LITERATURE REVIEW: A search strategy was developed to identify prospective, interventional studies of treatments for SS-associated dry eye from electronic databases. Eligible references were restricted to English-language articles published after 1975. These sources were augmented by hand searches of reference lists from accessed articles. Study selection, data extraction, and grading of evidence were completed independently by ≥4 review authors.

RESULTS: The searches identified 3559 references as of August 10, 2010. After duplicate review of the titles and abstracts, 245 full-text papers were assessed, 62 of which were relevant for inclusion in the review.

CONCLUSIONS: In the current literature on SS-associated dry eye, there is a paucity of rigorous clinical trials to support therapy recommendations. Nonetheless, the recommended treatments include topical lubricants, topical anti-inflammatory therapy, and tear-conserving strategies. The efficacy of oral secretagogues seems greater in the treatment of oral dryness than ocular dryness. Although oral hydroxychloroquine is commonly prescribed to patients with SS to alleviate fatigue and arthralgias, the literature lacks strong evidence for the efficacy of this treatment for dry eye.

FINANCIAL DISCLOSURE(S): Proprietary or commercial disclosure may be found after the references.

Ophthalmology. 2011 Apr 2. [Epub ahead of print]
Akpek EK, Lindsley KB, Adyanthaya RS, Swamy R, Baer AN, McDonnell PJ.
The Wilmer Eye Institute, The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland.