Efficacy of electroacupuncture for patients with dry eye syndromes: a randomized controlled trial

Objective: To observe the efficacy of electroacupuncture (EA) in treating dry eye syndromes (DES) and its regulatory effects on patient's quality of life (QOL), anxiety, and depression.Methods: By following a randomized controlled study design, eligible DES patients were allocated to an EA group (EAG) or an acupuncture group (AG). Patients in the AG were intervened by acupuncture alone, while in the EAG, electrical stimulation was applied to Cuanzhu (BL2) and Taiyang (EX-HN5) in addition to the same treatment in the AG. Changes in clinical manifestations, ocular surface disease index (OSDI), Schirmer tear test-1 (STT-1), tear-film break-up time (TF-BUT), cornea fluorescein staining (CFS), and corneal sensitivity (CS) were observed, as well as changes in the short-form 36-item health survey (SF-36) and hospital anxiety and depression scale (HADS) scores.Results: The scores of clinical symptoms, OSDI, and CFS decreased significantly in both EAG and AG when compared with the baseline values (P < 0.05), respectively, while the TF-BUT and CS increased significantly (P < 0.05), and the tear secretion of patients in the EAG increased (P < 0.05). Compared with those before treatment, the scores of physical role functioning, general health perception, emotional role functioning, and mental health of patients in both EAG and AG showed significant increases after treatment (P < 0.05), together with a marked decrease in the score of anxiety (P < 0.05). Compared with the AG, the EAG obtained a more significant increase in STT-1 (P < 0.05).Conclusion: DES patients respond well to both EA and acupuncture treatments, manifested by prolonged TF-BUT and improvement of CS. Meanwhile, the two approaches can improve QOL and reduce anxiety. Furthermore, EA appears more effective in increasing tear secretion than acupuncture alone.