In a population of Korean patients with dry eye disease, 1% and 2% rebamipide clear ophthalmic solution applied four times a day for 12 weeks significantly improved tear break-up time and Schirmer 1 test scores, whereas the 2% concentration improved corneal staining scores, compared with placebo use.
This novel treatment is safe and effective for improving dry eye disease's clinical signs and symptoms.
This study, "Efficacy and safety of 1% and 2% rebamipide clear solution in dry eye disease: a multicenter randomized trial" by Eom et al., is published in BMC Ophthalmology.
The study evaluated the efficacy of 1% and 2% rebamipide clear solution in treating dry eye disease (DED).
Two hundred twenty patients of mean age 43 years with DED were randomly assigned to one of three groups: 1% rebamipide, 2% rebamipide, or placebo.
The tear film break-up time (TBUT), corneal and conjunctival staining score, Schirmer 1 test, and the Ocular Surface Disease Index (OSDI) were evaluated at baseline and at the 12-week visit to compare the efficacy of the study groups. Each eye drop was administered four times daily for 12 weeks.
The results of the study are:
There was greater improvement in 1%, and 2% rebamipide groups showed in TBUT at 12 weeks from baseline compared to the placebo group.
There was a more significant improvement in the 2% rebamipide group in the corneal staining score at 12 weeks from baseline than the placebo.
At 12 weeks of treatment, the 1% and 2% rebamipide groups showed improvement in the Schirmer 1 test, compared to the placebo group, which did not exhibit any such improvement.
The Rebamipide and placebo groups demonstrated significant improvements in OSDI after 12 weeks of treatment, but there was no significant disparity among the three groups.
They concluded that 1% and 2% rebamipide clear solutions are an effective therapeutic option for improving TBUT and tear volume and stabilizing the corneal staining score in DED.
Further reading:
https://bmcophthalmol.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12886-023-03004-1