A novel system, TearCare(®), for the treatment of the signs and symptoms of dry eye disease

PURPOSE: The objective of this study was to evaluate the safety and effectiveness of the TearCare(®) System in adult patients with clinically significant dry eye disease (DED). PATIENTS AND METHODS: This was a prospective, single-center, randomized, parallel-group, clinical trial. Subjects with DED were randomized to either a single TearCare treatment conducted at the clinic or 4 weeks of daily warm compress (WC) therapy. The TearCare procedure consisted of 12 minutes of thermal eyelid treatment immediately followed by manual expression of the meibomian glands. WC therapy consisted of once daily application of the compresses to the eyelids for 5 minutes. Subjects were followed until 6 months post-treatment. The primary effectiveness end point was defined as change from baseline to 4 weeks for tear breakup time (TBUT). Secondary effectiveness end points included meibomian gland assessment, corneal and conjunctival staining scores, and assessment of dry eye symptoms using validated questionnaires. Safety was evaluated by collecting device-related adverse events, intraocular pressure, and best spectacle-corrected Snellen Visual acuity. RESULTS: Twenty-four subjects were enrolled and all subjects completed 6 months follow-up. At the 1-month follow-up, TearCare subjects demonstrated an improvement from baseline in mean (±SD) TBUT of 11.7±2.6 seconds compared with an average worsening of −0.3±1.1 seconds for subjects in the WC group (p<0.0001). Significantly greater improvements in the change from baseline in meibomian gland scores, as well as corneal and conjunctival staining scores, were observed in the TearCare group. Subjects in the TearCare group also showed significantly greater improvement in dry eye symptoms as measured by the 3 questionnaires. Both treatments were well-tolerated. CONCLUSION: The findings of this pilot study suggest that the TearCare System is an effective treatment option for patients with DED, with the effects on the signs and symptoms of DED persisting for at least 6 months.