Effects of artificial tear treatment on corneal epithelial thickness and corneal topography findings in dry eye patients; [Effets du traitement au moyen de larmes artificielles sur l’épaisseur et la forme de la cornée sur des patients souffrant de sécheresse oculaire. Les changements de l’épaisseur de la cornée suite au traitement par larmes artificielles]

Purpose: To investigate the effects of artificial tear treatment on central corneal epithelial thickness, and central, mid-peripheral and peripheral corneal thicknesses in patients with dry eye disease (DED). Material-methods: Patients with DED underwent ocular examinations, including Schirmer-2 test, slit lamp examination for tear break-up time (BUT), corneal topography (CT) for measuring mean central, mid-peripheral and peripheral corneal thickness values and anterior segment optic coherence tomography (AS-OCT) for obtaining central corneal epithelial thickness. After artificial tear treatment (carboxymethylcellulose and sodium hyaluronate formulations) for one month, patients were examined again at a second visit and the results were compared. Results: Sixty-one eyes of 33 female dry eye patients (mean age: 38.3 ± 5.7 years) were enrolled. The mean follow-up time was 36.4 ± 3.3 days. The mean tear BUT and Schirmer-1 tests revealed significant improvement after treatment (P = 0.000, P = 0.000, respectively). Central corneal epithelium and mean mid-peripheral corneal thicknesses measured significantly higher after treatment (P = 0.001, P = 0.02). Changes in central and peripheral corneal thicknesses were not statistically significant. Conclusion: Artificial tear treatment in dry eye patients seems to increase central corneal epithelial and mid-peripheral corneal thicknesses. Measurement of corneal epithelial thickness can be a useful tool for evaluation of treatment response in dry eye patients. Further long-term prospective studies are needed to investigate this item. © 2018 Elsevier Masson SAS