A topical eye emulsion consisting of cyclosporine (a medication used to reduce transplant rejections or to treat arthritis and psoriasis) may be a cost-effective treatment for dry eye syndrome that does not respond to other therapies, according to a report in the February issue of Archives of Ophthalmology.
Published reports suggest that the prevalence of dry eye syndrome in older patients ranges from about 15 percent to 34 percent, according to background information in the article. "Patients with dry eye syndrome have more difficulty reading, carrying out professional work, using a computer, watching television and driving compared with those without dry eyes," the authors write. "The burden of dry eye disease from both the prevalence and patient morbidity standpoints makes this a sizeable public health dilemma."
Using data from two randomized clinical trials and Food and Drug Administration files, Melissa M. Brown, M.D., M.N., M.B.A., of the Center for Value-Based Medicine, Flourtown, and the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, Philadelphia, and colleagues assessed the comparative effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of eye drops containing a 0.05 percent emulsion of the drug cyclosporine for patients whose moderate to severe dry eye syndrome did not respond to conventional therapy.