In a meta-analysis published in August 2021, acupuncture was compared with artificial tears treatment for patients with dry eye syndrome.
The results from 19 different clinical trials with a total of 1542 patients demonstrated the superiority of acupuncture in improving the symptoms compared to artificial tears acting alone.
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Korean researchers from Daegu Haany University in Gyeongsan assessed the effectiveness of Acupuncture, artificial tears or the combination of both therapies in dry eye syndrome without any specific etiologies. The researchers searched for randomized clinical trials in eight databases through June 2018 and the used outcome measurements were tear-film breakup time, schirmer test, corneal fluorescein staining, ocular surface disease index, visual analogue scale and score of symptoms.
Acupuncture was found to be superior in improving the symptoms of tear-film breakup time , Schirmer test, corneal fluorescein staining and score of symptoms compared to artificial tears acting alone. The tear-film breakup time and Schirmer test were also more improved in acupuncture combination with artificial tears than artificial tears alone. Further subgroup analyses suggest that applying Acupuncture for 2-3 times per week for 21-30 days may be optimal treatment dose for the treatment of dry eye syndrome.
Source: Na JH, Jung JH, Park JG, Song PH, Song CH. Therapeutic effects of acupuncture in typical dry eye: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Acta Ophthalmol. 2021 Aug;99(5):489-498. doi: 10.1111/aos.14651. Epub 2020 Oct 29. PMID: 33124107.