Diverse Needling Methods for Dry Eye Syndrome： A Randomized Controlled Study

• Published in: Journal of acupuncture and tuina science Vol. 11; no. 2; pp. 84 - 88
• Main Authors: Guo, Meng-hu, Cui, En-cao, Li, Xin-yuan, Zong, Lei
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Heidelberg Shanghai Research Institute of Acupuncture and Meridian 01.04.2013; Springer Nature B.V; Yueyang Hospital of Integrated Traditional Chinese and Western Medicine Affiliated to Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Shanghai 200437, China
• Subjects: Acupuncture; Medicine; Medicine & Public Health; Special Topic Study; R246.82; Dry Eye Syndromes; Electroacupuncture; Acupuncture Therapy; Randomized Controlled Trial
• ISSN: 1672-3597; 1993-0399
• DOI: 10.1007/s11726-013-0662-9

Objective： To explore a proper acupuncture treatment protocol for dry eye syndrome （DES）, by comparing the therapeutic effects between ordinary acupuncture and electroacupuncture （EA）. Methods： Forty-seven eligible subjects with DES were randomized into an acupuncture group （n=23） and an EA group （n=24）. With the same acupoint formula, the acupuncture group was treated with ordinary acupuncture, and the EA group was treated with ordinary acupuncture plus electrical stimulation. After a treatment course, eye symptom score, Schirmer test （SIT）, Break-up Time （BUT） of tear film, Corneal Fluorescein Staining （CFS）, and Visual Analogue Scale （VAS） were adopted in evaluation and comparison of the two groups. Results： The total effective rate was 79.2% in the EA group versus 56.5% in the acupuncture group, and the difference was statistically significant （P〈0.05）. After treatment, both groups had marked improvements in eye symptom score, SIT, BUT, CFS, and VAS values （P〈0.001）; the EA group was better than acupuncture group in improving eye symptom score and SIT value （both P〈0.05）; the differences were insignificant in comparing VAS, BUT and CFS results between the two groups （P〉0.05）. Conclusion： Both EA and ordinary acupuncture are effective in treating DES, but EA is better than ordinary acupuncture in improving eye symptom and SIT score.