The Clinical Effect of Combined Needle-Embedding Therapy for Patients with Lifestyle-Related Dry Eye Disease

Summary

This study explores a novel combined treatment of needle-embedding therapy and conventional care, demonstrating improved symptoms, recovery, and quality of life for dry eye disease (DED). It also outlines the procedure and highlights its feasibility and effectiveness for lifestyle-related DED.

Abstract

Dry eye disease (DED) is a multifactorial, chronic ocular surface disorder with a rising global prevalence. It has become an important public health concern that requires appropriate management and prevention. However, standardized and effective treatments for DED remain limited. This study introduces a combined approach using needle-embedding therapy and conventional nursing care as a novel intervention for patients with DED. Patients received traditional treatments, including warm compresses, eyelid massage, and artificial tear therapy, followed by the insertion of disposable sterile thumbtack needles into six predefined acupoints. Each needle was left in place for 24 h before removal. Tear meniscus height and tear film breakup time were recorded in real time during treatment.

This article describes the standard operating procedure and clinical outcomes of the combined needle-embedding therapy in patients with lifestyle-related DED, aiming to evaluate its feasibility and therapeutic efficacy. According to the statistical results, this combined therapy alleviated DED symptoms, promoted ocular surface recovery, and enhanced patient comfort and quality of life.

Introduction

Dry eye disease (DED) is a multifactorial, chronic ocular surface disorder resulting from imbalances in the ocular surface microenvironment and instability of the tear film, caused by abnormalities in the quality, quantity, or dynamics of the tear fluid¹. It is often accompanied by ocular surface inflammation, tissue injury, and neural dysfunction, leading to ocular discomfort and visual disturbance². According to epidemiological studies, the global prevalence of DED ranges from 5% to 35%³, and the prevalence in China ranges from 21% to 30%⁴, affecting individuals across al....

Protocol

This study was approved by the Ethics Board of the First Affiliated Hospital of Chongqing Medical University. The studies were conducted in accordance with the local legislation and institutional requirements. Written consent was obtained from the patients for this study.

1 . Perform conventional dry eye treatment

1. Apply a warm compress to patients with dry eye for 15 min, twice daily. Prepare clean cotton towels, cotton swabs, and a container of hot water.
   NOTE: The temperature of a warm compress is 40 to 42 °C. Mild skin redness after the warm compress is normal. If pain or excessive redness occurs, discontinue the ....

Results

A total of 220 eyes from 110 patients with dry eye disease (DED) were included in this study, consisting of 18 males and 92 females. _All participants met the diagnostic criteria defined in the "Chinese Expert Consensus on Dry Eye Disease (2020)"²⁸. The mean participant age was 39 years (range: 2-24 months disease duration), and no participant withdrew from the study. Baseline characteristics, including sex, age, and disease duration, did not differ significantly between the two treatment groups (.......

Discussion

Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) needle-embedding therapy is a micro-invasive treatment designed to enhance periocular blood circulation and stimulate ocular surface homeostasis. The results of this study demonstrated that combined acupuncture therapy effectively alleviated both subjective symptoms and objective clinical indicators of lifestyle-related dry eye disease (DED), given that the OSDI Scores decreased by 71.22% after treatment, while improving patient comfort and quality of life.

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Materials

List of materials used in this article

Name	Company	Catalog Number	Comments
0.1% sodium hyaluronate	URSAPHARM Arzneimittel GmbH		Instill it into eyes to moisturize the ocular surface and alleviate dry eye symptom.
fluorescein sodium ophthalmic strips	Liaoning Meizilin Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd		Soak the orange-red fluorescein sodium portion of the test strip with 1-2 drops of physiological saline, gently touch the soaked portion with the subconjunctiva of the subject, gently close the eyes and rotate the eyeball, and immediately observe whether the cornea is stained under blue light conditions of a slit lamp microscope.
IBM SPSS Statistics 26.0	statistics	Version 26.0	SPSS  is used for statistical analyses on the clinical data between different groups.
OCULUS Keratoaraph 5M	OCULUS Optikger?ste GmbH	TP00021372210	Use it to measure TMH/BUT of the dry eye patients.
Seirin PyonexNeedles	Sichuan Weigao Science& Technology Co Ltd	20162201259	Insert it completely into these 6 selected acupoints to provide the acupuncture therpy.