European Journal of Biomedical and Pharmaceutical Sciences

EFFECT OF CARBOXYMETHYLCELLULOSE AS LUBRICATING AGENT ON DRY EYE

Mukesh Kumar Chaudhary*, Bhawana Pandey, Dikshya Bohara, Govinda Khanal and Sunita Thapa

ABSTRACT

Dry eye disease nowadays becomes a most common ocular disease which can be treated by the application of artificial tears [carboxymethylcellulose (CMC)] which hydrate and lubricate the ocular surface. Aims and objective: To study effect of CMC as lubricating agent on dry eye. Materials and methods: A total of 100 patients diagnosed with dry eye were enrolled in the study period of 6 month. Patients were stabilized with CMC and were followed up on 2 weeks and 4 weeks. Diagnostic test includes Schirmer’s test. Analysis was done by t-test; p <0.05 was considered significant. Results: The population sample consists of 100 patients, 74 females and 26 males, among them most of the patients were in 20-30 year age groups and number of female was higher in all age group but in 50-60 year age groups, both males and females are equal number. The higher numbers of patients were found to be housewife (55%). Both eyes were tested with the schirmer strips and value ranged from 3 mm to 35 mm in right eye and 1 to 35 mm to left eye. The effect after 2 weeks of treatment in compared to 0 week is found to be improved but not significant while after 4 weeks of treatment, the effect was significant with the mean higher than 10 mm with p-value < 0.05. Conclusion: The result shows a significant beneficial effect after frequent application of 0.5% isotonic solution of CMC to improve clinical symptoms (blurry vision, ocular dryness, foreign body sensation and burning sensation) of dry eye.

Keywords: Artificial tears, Carboxymethylcellulose, Dry eye, Schirmer’s test.