Oral Pilocarpine in the Treatment of the Dry Eye of Patients With Sjogrens Syndrome

The Ocular Surface Disease Index is a valid and reliable instrument for measuring the severity of dry eye disease, and it possesses the necessary psychometric properties to be used as an end point in clinical trials. The answers to the questions generate an index ranging from 0 to 100, where 0 means no complaints related to dry eye and 100 indicates complaints with maximum intensity. (Change = week 10 score - baseline score)

The Ocular Surface Disease is a valid and reliable instrument for measuring the severity of dry eye disease, and it possesses the necessary psychometric properties to be used as an end point in clinical trials. The answers to the questions generate an index ranging from 0 to 100, where 0 means no complaints related to dry eye and 100 indicates complaints with maximum intensity. (Change = week 22 score - baseline score)

The VFQ-25 is a reliable and validated 25-item version of the 51-item National Eye Institute Visual Function Questionnaire (NEI-VFQ). It is especially useful in settings such as clinical trials, where interview length is a critical consideration. The set of responses provided scores between 0 and 100, where 0 means the maximum negative impact of the disease on the quality of life of patients and 100 means no negative impact of the disease on quality of life. (Change = week 10 score - baseline score)

The VFQ-25 is a reliable and validated 25-item version of the 51-item National Eye Institute Visual Function Questionnaire (NEI-VFQ). It is especially useful in settings such as clinical trials, where interview length is a critical consideration. The set of responses provided scores between 0 and 100, where 0 means the maximum negative impact of the disease on the quality of life of patients and 100 means no negative impact of the disease on quality of life. (Change = week 22 score - baseline score)

Tear breakup time is a clinical test used to assess evaporative disease of dry eye. To measure tear breakup time, fluorescein is instilled into the patient's tear film and the patient is asked not to blink while the tear film is viewed under a cobalt blue lighting. The time of appearance of the first tear film break point, recorded in seconds, indicates the tear film breakup time. Times greater than 10 seconds are considered normal. (Change = week 10 measure - baseline measure)

Tear breakup time is a clinical test used to assess evaporative disease of dry eye. To measure tear breakup time, fluorescein is instilled into the patient's tear film and the patient is asked not to blink while the tear film is viewed under a cobalt blue lighting. The time of appearance of the first tear film break point, recorded in seconds, indicates the tear film breakup time. Times greater than 10 seconds are considered normal. (Change = week 22 measure - baseline measure)

When instilled in the ocular surface, the rose bengal dye will stain dead cells and spaces not covered by the tear film, being a method used to evaluate the damage to the ocular surface caused by the dry eye. For quantification, the van bijesterveld scale was used, which gives a score from 0 to 9 points according to the intensity of the color distributed onto the ocular surface. The van bijesterveld scale is described as follows:

The surface of the eye should be separated into three regions: the nasal bulbar conjunctiva, the cornea and the medial bulbar conjunctiva. Each of these regions may receive a score ranging from 0 to 3 points (0 = not colored, 1 = colored with distant points, 2 = colored with close points and 3 = colored with confluent points). The scores are then added up, generating a global score ranging from 0 to 9 points. Score 0 means no impairment of the ocular surface and score 9 means maximum impairment of the ocular surface).

(Change = week 10 - baseline measure)

When instilled in the ocular surface, the rose bengal dye will stain dead cells and spaces not covered by the tear film, being a method used to evaluate the damage to the ocular surface caused by the dry eye. For quantification, the van bijesterveld scale was used, which gives a score from 0 to 9 points according to the intensity of the color distributed onto the ocular surface. The van bijesterveld scale is described as follows:

The surface of the eye should be separated into three regions: the nasal bulbar conjunctiva, the cornea and the medial bulbar conjunctiva. Each of these regions may receive a score ranging from 0 to 3 points (0 = not colored, 1 = colored with distant points, 2 = colored with close points and 3 = colored with confluent points). The scores are then added up, generating a global score ranging from 0 to 9 points. Score 0 means no impairment of the ocular surface and score 9 means maximum impairment of the ocular surface).

(Change = week 22 - baseline measure)

After dripping fluorescein dye on the ocular surface, the cornea of the patients was analyzed with the patient accommodated in the slit lamp and under cobalt blue light. Fluorescein will stain spaces without cells, which represents spaces in distress caused by dry eyes. The score used ranges from 0 to 3 points (0 = not colored, 1 = blush with distant points, 2 = blush with close points and 3 = blush with confluent points). Score 0 means no corneal involvement (absence of keratitis) and score 3 means maximum involvement of the ocular surface) (Change = week 10 - baseline score)

After dripping fluorescein dye on the ocular surface, the cornea of the patients was analyzed with the patient accommodated in the slit lamp and under cobalt blue light. Fluorescein will stain spaces without cells, which represents spaces in distress caused by dry eyes. The score used ranges from 0 to 3 points (0 = not colored, 1 = blush with distant points, 2 = blush with close points and 3 = blush with confluent points). Score 0 means no corneal involvement (absence of keratitis) and score 3 means maximum involvement of the ocular surface) (Change = week 22 - baseline score)

The Schirmer test measures, in millimeters, the production of the tear film for five minutes. A strip of standardized paper is placed on the lateral third of the lower eyelid of both eyes and after 5 minutes. The tear moistens the paper and the reading of the moistening is done. The test can vary from 0 to 35 millimeters, being considered normal (normal tear flow) values greater than 10 millimeters. Values below 10 millimeters indicate dry eye and the lower the value, the more dry the eye.

(Change = week 10 - baseline measure)

The Schirmer test measures, in millimeters, the production of the tear film for five minutes. A strip of standardized paper is placed on the lateral third of the lower eyelid of both eyes and after 5 minutes. The tear moistens the paper and the reading of the moistening is done. The test can vary from 0 to 35 millimeters, being considered normal (normal tear flow) values greater than 10 millimeters. Values below 10 millimeters indicate dry eye and the lower the value, the more dry the eye.

(Change = week 22 - baseline measure)

The tear ferning test is a laboratory test but it has the potential to be applied in the clinic setting to investigate the tear film in a simple way. Drying a small sample of tear fluid onto a clean, glass microscope slide produces a characteristic crystallisation pattern, described as a 'tear ferning". The scale proposed by Rolando was used, which classifies the findings into 4 types (type 1, 2, 3 and 4), according to the teardrop crystallization pattern. Patterns 1 and 2 are considered normal and patterns 3 and 4 are considered abnormal and indicate that the tear has an inadequate composition and quality (Change = week 10 - baseline score)

The tear ferning test is a laboratory test but it has the potential to be applied in the clinic setting to investigate the tear film in a simple way. Drying a small sample of tear fluid onto a clean, glass microscope slide produces a characteristic crystallisation pattern, described as a 'tear ferning". The scale proposed by Rolando was used, which classifies the findings into 4 types (type 1, 2, 3 and 4), according to the teardrop crystallization pattern. Patterns 1 and 2 are considered normal and patterns 3 and 4 are considered abnormal and indicate that the tear has an inadequate composition and quality (Change = week 22 - baseline score)

A list of the systemic side effects most frequently described with the oral use of pilocarpine was presented to patients, where they could indicate the presence or absence of this effect: the side effects on the list are: sweating, chills, nausea, salivation, abdominal pain, dizziness, facial flushing, rhinitis, weakness, visual blurring, tremor, tachycardia, headache and diarrhea.

A list of the systemic side effects most frequently described with the oral use of pilocarpine was presented to patients, where they could indicate the presence or absence of this effect: the side effects on the list are: sweating, chills, nausea, salivation, abdominal pain, dizziness, facial flushing, rhinitis, weakness, visual blurring, tremor, tachycardia, headache and diarrhea.