Signs and symptoms of ocular surface status in glaucoma patients switched from timolol 0.5% to brinzolamide 1%/timolol 0.5% fixed combination: a 6-month efficacy and tolerability, multicenter, open-label prospective study

Comparison on the vision-related quality of life between outpatients and general population with dry eye syndrome

PURPOSE

To compare the impact of dry eye syndrome (DES) on vision-related quality of life (VR-QoL) between outpatients and general populations.

METHODS

This cross-sectional comparative study enrolled 154 participants, 77 outpatients and 77 general participants, all of whom met the diagnostic criteria of DES. Apart from the collection of sociodemographic and clinical data, the Chinese version of 25-item National Eye Institute Visual Functioning Questionnaire (NEI VFQ-25) and Ocular Surface Disease Index Questionnaire (OSDI) were administered. Main outcome measures include the comparison on the OSDI score and VFQ-25 score between two groups, and their correlation with sociodemographic and clinical data.

RESULTS

The two groups were comparable concerning sociodemographic parameters except that the outpatients were better educated (χ(2) = 18.609, p < 0.001). The ophthalmic data related with DES did not have statistically significant differences between two groups except that the proportion of subjects with positive corneal fluorescein staining (CFS) was higher in outpatients (χ(2) = 21.296, p < 0.001). The outpatients reported significantly higher OSDI scores and lower VFQ-25 scores. The VFQ-25 composite score had negative correlation with the OSDI score of all participants or that of outpatients solely (ρ = -0.247 and -0.397, p = 0.030 and 0.000, respectively). Among outpatients, the value of Schirmer test (ST), tear film breakup time (TBUT) and CFS in the eyes with worse DES had significant correlations with the OSDI overall scores, while TBUT and CFS of both eyes correlated with the VFQ-25 composite score.

CONCLUSIONS

DES exerts more adverse impact on VR-QoL in outpatients than general patients. The impairment of VR-QoL has a significant correlation with the severity of DES.

Effect of 1% brinzolamide and 0.5% timolol fixed combination on intraocular pressure after cataract surgery with phacoemulsification

AIM

To evaluate the effect of brinzolamide-timolol fixed combination on intraocular pressure (IOP) after cataract surgery.

METHODS

The study included 92 eyes of 87 patients who underwent cataract surgery and intraocular lens implantation. Patients scheduled for phacoemulsification were assigned to 1 of 2 groups. The treatment group received 1 drop of brinzolamide-timolol fixed combination immediately after surgery, and the control group received no treatment. The IOP was measured preoperatively and at 2h and 24h postoperatively.

RESULTS

The mean IOP change was lower in the treatment group than in the control group at 2h postoperatively. The difference between the mean IOP values of the two groups at 2h postoperatively was found to be statistically significant. Twenty-four hours after the surgery, the mean IOP change was still higher in the control group when compared to the treatment group.

CONCLUSION

The fixed combination brinzolamide-timolol can effectively reduce IOP after cataract surgery.