Pilot Study of a Homeopathic Therapy in Combination With Cyclosporin (Restasis) in the Treatment of Dry Eye Disease

• Ocular Surface Disease Index OSDI [ Time Frame: baseline, 6 weeks ] [ Designated as safety issue: No ]
  

• Tear film breakup time [ Time Frame: Baseline, 6 weeks ] [ Designated as safety issue: No ]
  
• Fluorescein staining [ Time Frame: Baseline, 6 weeks ] [ Designated as safety issue: No ]
  
• Schirmer tear test with anesthesia [ Time Frame: Baseline, 6 weeks ] [ Designated as safety issue: No ]
  

Dry eye disease affects millions of people world-wide, and presents with symptoms of blurred vision, discharge from the eyes, eye discomfort, burning, redness, sandy and gritty feeling in the eyes, and sensitivity to light. Topical eye drops for eye lubrication (i.e., artificial tear solutions) and controlling ocular inflammation through the use of topical immunomodulatory agents (i.e., cyclosporine [Restasis]) have been shown to be effective for treating dry eye syndrome, but are not curative. Recently, we have evaluated a few patients who had discontinued using Restasis as they had obtained better relief of their dry eye symptoms with a homeopathic therapy.

Potential participants will undergo an eye examination consisting of medical history and physical examination (i.e., visual acuity, pupillary exam, examination of the lids, slit-lamp examination of the conjunctiva, cornea, anterior chamber, iris, and lens, and funduscopic examination). Participants qualifying for the study will then stop all eye medications and will use a common artificial tear solution for 2 weeks prior to the baseline examination. We will evaluate 4 measures of dry eyes at baseline and after 6 weeks of therapy: 1) tear film to break-up; 2) staining of the cornea by fluorescein stain; 3) measurement of tear production over 5 minutes by Schirmer's test; and 4) the Ocular Surface Disease Index (OSDI).