A Randomized Controlled Trial Comparing Thai Facial Massage, Chinese Eye Exercise of Acupoints and Standard Treatment in Patients with Dry Eye Disorders

Abstract

Dry eye disorder (DED) is a chronic medical condition that requires ongoing treatment, with increasing prevalence worldwide. Traditional Thai eye exercises (TFM) and Chinese eye exercises of acupoints (CEA) are believed to improve ocular health. The objective of this study is to examine the efficacy and potential adverse effects of TFM and CEA in treating DED compared to standard treatment of lid hygiene (STD). In this 12-week single-blind randomized controlled trial, 84 participants aged 20-60 years with mild to moderate DED were recruited from Thammasat University Hospital, Thailand. They were equally divided into three groups: TFM, CEA, and STD (28 participants each). The participants were trained to self-administer treatments at home. The primary outcomes were OSDI scores, SIT, TBUT, and CSS, while the secondary outcomes were ocular tests, including VA and Likert scale, to measure DED-related symptoms. One-way ANOVA and repeated measures (ANOVA) were used to compare results between groups and study visits, respectively; p-values <0.05 were considered statically significant. The post-treatment results showed a gradual improvement of OSDI (p value <0.001), TBUT (p value <0.01), and SIT (p value <0.01) in all groups. CSS improved significantly only in CEA groups (p value <0.05). No significant differences were found between the study groups, except for SIT in week 4 and week 12 when there was a greater reduction of SIT in CEA compared to TFM and STD groups (p < 0.05). No adverse event was observed in all study groups throughout the intervention program. TFM and CEA could be effectively used as alternative treatments for STD without any negative side effects.