title: Three percent diquafosol ophthalmic solution as an additional therapy to existing artificial tears with steroids for dry-eye patients with Sjögren's syndrome.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To investigate the long-term results of 3% diquafosol ophthalmic solution as an alternative therapy to existing ophthalmic solutions, including topical immunosuppression, for the treatment of dry eye in patients with Sjögren's syndrome.
  
  
  METHODS
  This study involved 14 female dry-eye patients (mean age: 62.4 years) with Sjögren's syndrome who insufficiently responded to their current therapy. In all patients, 3% diquafosol ophthalmic solution was administered six times daily for 12 months in substitution for artificial tears and sodium hyaluronate ophthalmic solution. Their use of corticosteroid eye drops remained unchanged from that prior to the treatment with diquafosol sodium. The subjective symptoms assessed, and ocular signs including tear meniscus radius and the tear film breakup time, and ocular-surface epithelial damage score were examined at 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 9, and 12 months after initiating treatment.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Among the subjective symptoms, significant improvement was obtained in dryness at 2 months post treatment, in eye fatigue at 1, 2, 3, 4, and 12 months post treatment, and in pain at 1, 2, 6, and 12 months post treatment. Difficulty in opening the eye, foreign body sensation, and redness were also significantly ameliorated at various time-points. The tear meniscus radius and the tear film breakup time were significantly improved throughout the observation period, and the corneal epithelial staining scores were significantly decreased at 3 months post treatment.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  In dry-eye patients with Sjögren's syndrome, treatment with 3% diquafosol ophthalmic solution improved both symptoms and signs, and that effectiveness was maintained for 12 months.
authors.affiliation: Department of Ophthalmology, Kyoto Prefectural University of Medicine, Kyoto, Japan.
authors.forename: N
authors.identifier: http://orcid.org/0000-0003-4839-3416
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Yokoi
authors.affiliation: Department of Ophthalmology, Kyoto Prefectural University of Medicine, Kyoto, Japan.
authors.forename: Y
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Sonomura
authors.affiliation: Department of Ophthalmology, Kyoto Prefectural University of Medicine, Kyoto, Japan.
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Kato
authors.affiliation: Department of Ophthalmology, Kyoto Prefectural University of Medicine, Kyoto, Japan.
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Komuro
authors.affiliation: Department of Ophthalmology, Kyoto Prefectural University of Medicine, Kyoto, Japan.
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Kinoshita
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D004334:Drug Administration Schedule; D015352:Dry Eye Syndromes / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000209:etiology / Q000378:metabolism; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D065346:Lubricant Eye Drops / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D008875:Middle Aged; D009883:Ophthalmic Solutions / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D011122:Polyphosphates / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D058912:Purinergic P2Y Receptor Agonists; D012859:Sjogren's Syndrome / Q000150:complications*; D013666:Tears / Q000378:metabolism; D014500:Uracil Nucleotides / Q000627:therapeutic use*
chemical_list: D065346:Lubricant Eye Drops; D009883:Ophthalmic Solutions; D011122:Polyphosphates; D058912:Purinergic P2Y Receptor Agonists; D014500:Uracil Nucleotides; C403315:diquafosol