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The Efficacy of an Ocular Emulsion in Meibomian Gland Dysfunction

Evaluation of the Efficacy of an Ocular Emulsion on the Signs and Symptoms of Meibomian Gland Dysfunction

Status
Completed
Phases
NA
Study type
Interventional
Source
ClinicalTrials.gov
Registry ID
NCT01207752
Enrollment
69
Registered
2010-09-23
Start date
2010-09-30
Completion date
2011-07-31
Last updated
2025-04-01

For informational purposes only — not medical advice. Sourced from public registries and may not reflect the latest updates. Terms

Conditions

Meibomian Gland Dysfunction

Keywords

dry eye, MGD, tear film break up time

Brief summary

The aim of this study will be to determine the efficacy of this novel, lipid-containing artificial tear on the signs and symptoms of meibomian gland disease.

Detailed description

This investigation will involve approximately 90 MGD subjects, randomly assigned to either the Systane Balance treatment group or a control group using Optive™ Lubricant Eyedrops (Allergan), a low-viscosity artificial tear. Both arms will dose the drops four times per day and the treatment trial will be conducted for 6 months. The age range will be 18 years and older, with no upper age limit. Standard diagnostic tests for dry eye, as recommended by the NEI-Industry Workshop report,8 but with updated criteria in some instances, will be used to define clinical dry eye of the MGD sub-type. The three major tests will be: symptoms using a validated questionnaire (Schein), evidence of ocular surface damage, and demonstration of tear instability. The subjects will be enrolled if they consent and are confirmed as MGD subjects using the established clinical criteria used at SCCO of gland dropout Grade 1 per lower eyelid using meiboscopy,6, 9 or secretion quality Grade 1 in any of the three sectors (temporal, central, nasal) upon gland expression9, 10 using the recently developed Korb device.11 The principal outcome measure will be the tear film breakup time (TBUT), in seconds, at two hours post drop instillation. The two-hour TBUT value will be used to compare the control and test formulation at baseline and visits 3, 5 and 7. TBUT will be measured using 2.0 l of 1.0% NaFl. Exploratory outcome measures will include TBUT (seconds; change over time), corneal staining (change over time; 0 - 20 scale), symptoms (Schein and MGD-specific preliminary questionnaire score), drop comfort, Surface Regularity Index (a measure of surface disruption), lipid layer grade (1 - 5 Yokoi scale), meibum excreta quality, gland drop out and lid margin appearance all monitored as the change over time from baseline. Treatment comparisons will be made at each timepoint

Interventions

Artificial tear emulsion drop

Artificial tear eye drop

Sponsors

Alcon Research
CollaboratorINDUSTRY
Southern California College of Optometry at Marshall B. Ketchum University
Lead SponsorOTHER

Study design

Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Intervention model
PARALLEL
Primary purpose
TREATMENT
Masking
TRIPLE (Subject, Investigator, Outcomes Assessor)

Eligibility

Sex/Gender
ALL
Age
18 Years to No maximum
Healthy volunteers
No

Inclusion criteria

* Schein symptom score (all 6 questions) of greater than 5, * evidence of MGD changes in both eyes (i.e., * lower eyelid secretion quality score greater than 1.0 (0 - 3 scale) OR gland dropout score greater than 1.0 (i.e., greater than 25% of entire lower eyelid) as demonstrated by meiboscopy, and corneal staining of grade 4.0 or greater (0 - 20 scale).

Exclusion criteria

* contact lens wear, use of topical ocular medication other than artificial tears (use of Restasis is specifically excluded), * unstable systemic medication use (i.e., anti-histamines, steroids, etc.), recent (within 6 months of study start) ocular trauma or surgery, * diabetes, aqueous deficient dry eye (defined as a Schirmer I value (without anesthetic) of \< 5 mm of wetting in 5 minutes in either eye), and use of punctal plugs. -Subjects taking omega 3 fatty acid supplements for dry eye can be included so long as their intake is stable for the prior six months and they meet the inclusion criteria above. -

Design outcomes

Primary

MeasureTime frameDescription
Tear Film Breakup TimeMeasured 2 hours after in-office administration of a single drop of test solutiontime in seconds to observer a dark spot in the tear film

Countries

United States

Participant flow

Participants by arm

ArmCount
Systane Balance
Artificial tear emulsion Systane Balance: Artificial tear emulsion drop
35
Optive Lubricant Eye Drops
Artificial tear Optive Lubricant Eye Drops: Artificial tear eye drop
34
Total69

Baseline characteristics

CharacteristicOptive Lubricant Eye DropsSystane BalanceTotal
Age, Categorical
<=18 years
0 Participants0 Participants0 Participants
Age, Categorical
>=65 years
0 Participants0 Participants0 Participants
Age, Categorical
Between 18 and 65 years
34 Participants35 Participants69 Participants
Age, Continuous54.7 years
STANDARD_DEVIATION 17.5
50.7 years
STANDARD_DEVIATION 17.7
52.7 years
STANDARD_DEVIATION 2.8
Region of Enrollment
United States
34 participants35 participants69 participants
Sex: Female, Male
Female
24 Participants30 Participants54 Participants
Sex: Female, Male
Male
10 Participants5 Participants15 Participants

Adverse events

Event typeEG000
affected / at risk
EG001
affected / at risk
deaths
Total, all-cause mortality
— / —— / —
other
Total, other adverse events
0 / 350 / 34
serious
Total, serious adverse events
0 / 350 / 34

Outcome results

Primary

Tear Film Breakup Time

time in seconds to observer a dark spot in the tear film

Time frame: Measured 2 hours after in-office administration of a single drop of test solution

ArmMeasureValue (MEAN)Dispersion
Systane BalanceTear Film Breakup Time4.65 secondsStandard Deviation 1.73
Optive Lubricant Eye DropsTear Film Breakup Time4.42 secondsStandard Deviation 1.14
p-value: 0.55t-test, 2 sided

Source: ClinicalTrials.gov · Data processed: Feb 4, 2026