Polyacrylic acid gel in patients with dry eyes: a randomised comparison with polyvinyl alcohol

Purpose. To compare the safety and efficacy of polyacrylic acid 0.2% (PAA) gel and polyvinylalcohol 1.4% (PVA) in the treatment of patients with dry e yes. Methods. Eighty-nine patients with dry eyes were randomly allocated to trea tment with either PAA (48) or PVA (41) in a prospective, investigator-maske d study in two centres. The parameters assessed were daily frequency of ins tillation of the study medications, ocular signs and symptoms, fear film br eak up time, Schirmer's test values, local tolerance and global assessment of the improvement following treatment. Results. The two groups were similar in patient demographics and study para meters at baseline. The total score of symptoms (gritty or foreign body sen sation, burning sensation, dry eye sensation, photophobia, others) and sign s (conjunctival hyperaemia, ciliary injection, corneal and conjunctival epi thelial staining) was reduced significantly more by treatment with PAA than with PVA at both three and six weeks (p < 0.0001). The daily frequency of instillation of PAA was significantly less than that PVA on 38 of the 41 (9 3%) study days. Both PAA and PVA were safe and equally well-tolerated excep t for blurred vision, usually mild and transient, on PAA. On global assessm ent of the improvement in their dry eye condition, significantly more PAA p atients felt better on treatment at six (p = 0.02) weeks compared with thos e on PVA. Conclusions. Polyacrylic acid gel was as safe as and more effective than po lyvinylalcohol in the treatment of patients with dry eyes.