Effect of Rebamipide Ophthalmic Suspension on Optical Quality in the Short Break-up Time Type of Dry Eye

Purpose: To determine the effect of rebamipide ophthalmic suspension on optical quality in patients with dry eye with short break-up time (BUT) of the tear film.Methods: Twenty-six eyes of 16 patients with the short BUT type of dry eye were enrolled and treated with 2% rebamipide ophthalmic suspension. At baseline and at 2 and 4 weeks after initiating the treatment, the serial corneal higher-order aberrations (HOAs), BUT, fluorescein staining, and Schirmer test were measured. Patients were asked to complete questionnaires about the changes in dry eye-related ocular symptoms after the treatment.Results: Before the treatment, the pattern of postblink corneal HOAs for 10 seconds showed a sawtooth pattern, with a marked upward curve that increased after blinking. Treatment with rebamipide for 4 weeks significantly (P < 0.05) improved the postblink corneal HOAs and stabilized the pattern of the corneal HOAs. Significant increases in the tear film BUT were seen 2 and 4 weeks after the treatment (P < 0.001 for both comparisons).Conclusions: Rebamipide administered to treat the short BUT type of dry eye significantly improved optical quality because of the improvement in tear stability.