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Study finds thermal massager effective treatment for dry eye
In a study that evaluated the safety and efficacy of a thermal massager in comparison to artificial tears for the treatment of dry eye syndrome, Lee and colleagues concluded that thermal massage was effective and safe in improving dry eye.
The British Journal of Ophthalmology reported that 95 patients with dry eye syndrome were randomly assigned to receive either thermal massager or artificial tears treatment. Thermal massage consisted of twice daily vibration, massage and thermotherapy. The abstract explained that patients in the artificial tears group received 0.1% sodium hyaluronate solution five times daily.
The Ocular Surface Disease Index (OSDI) score, tear break-up time (TBUT), Schirmer’s test, fluorescein staining of the cornea, tear osmolarity and adverse events were evaluated after 4 weeks.
Lee and fellow researchers found that OSDI improved significantly in both groups, and improvement was significantly greater in the thermal massager group. TBUT and fluorescein staining also significantly improved.
It was found that thermal massage is a useful and safe treatment option in improving dry eye syndrome.
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Br J Ophthalmol. 2014;98(1):46-51.doi: 10.1136/bjophthalmol-2013-303742