The Efficacy and Safety of Chinese Eye Exercise of Acupoints in Dry Eye Patients: A Randomized Controlled Trial

Abstract

<b><i>Introduction:</i></b> Dry eye disorder (DED) is a growing global issue linked to excessive digital screen time. Chinese eye exercise of acupoint (CEA), a set of self-massages on shared Chinese acupuncture (CA), has been used to reduce visual-related ocular symptoms and possibly as an alternative treatment for DED. This study aimed to assess the efficacy and safety of CEA. <b><i>Methods:</i></b> A single-blind randomized controlled trial was conducted at Thammasat University Hospital in Thailand, recruiting 56 participants aged 20–60 years, equally divided into two groups: the treatment group with CEA and the control group with standard lid hygiene treatment (STD). The intervention program lasted 12 weeks. Main outcome measures: Ocular Surface Disease Index (OSDI), tear break-up time (TBUT), Schirmer-I test (SIT), corneal surface staining (CSS), and self-recorded forms for safety and adverse effects were measured at baseline, week 4, and week 12. An independent sample <i>t</i> test, paired <i>t</i> test, and repeated measures (ANOVA) were used to compare results between both groups, study visits, and primary and secondary outcome measurements, respectively. The <i>p</i> values &lt;0.05 were considered statistically significant. <b><i>Results:</i></b> The characteristics were not statistically different between both groups at the baseline. The mean OSDI scores were significantly reduced in both groups at week 4 and week 12 compared to baseline (<i>p</i> value &lt;0.05). Additionally, both CEA and STD showed significant improvement in TBUT and SIT (<i>p</i> value &lt;0.05). CSS was significantly improved only in the CEA groups (<i>p</i> value &lt;0.05). No significant differences were observed between the study groups, except for SIT at week 12 (<i>p</i> value &lt;0.05). For the safety, there were no adverse side effects in either group. <b><i>Conclusion:</i></b> CEA seemed to be as effective as STD in improving the OSDI, TBUT, and SIT of DED without causing any side effects.