Mistletoe, carboxymethyl cellulose eye drops may relieve dry eye symptoms, signs

Mistletoe combined with carboxymethyl cellulose eye drops may ease the symptoms and signs of dry eye in postmenopausal women, according to a study.

Sixty postmenopausal women between the ages of 50 and 56 years who had dry eye were divided into two groups in the prospective, randomized, single-blind, parallel-controlled clinical trial. Women in group A received eye drops consisting of mistletoe extract with carboxymethyl cellulose, while those in group B received saline drops. All patients were dosed four times each day for 2 months.

After 8 weeks, patients in the group that received the mistletoe drops reported, via an Ocular Surface Disease Index questionnaire, improvement in the subjective symptoms of dry eye, including dryness, abnormal sensation and asthenia.

Tear film function and tear proteins, while slightly changed in the group that received saline eye drops, were markedly improved in the group treated with mistletoe.

“Two months after treatment in group A, total tear proteins, lactoferrin, lysozyme and amylase activity were improved, further suggesting that mistletoe combined with carboxymethyl cellulose eye drops have certain therapeutic effects,” the study authors wrote.

In addition, there were fewer corneal epithelial basal cells and inflammatory cells in the mistletoe-treated patients after 8 weeks. The epithelial nerve plexus in these patients was almost comparable to normal. Patients in the saline eye drop group still had curving and abnormal epithelial nerve plexus, which had been observed in all postmenopausal patients before the study began. – by Rebecca L. Forand

Disclosures: The authors report no relevant financial disclosures.

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Source:

Jiang N, et al. Int J Ophthalmol. 2017;doi:10.18240/ijo.2017.11.06.