Lipid-containing artificial tears outperform non-lipid formulations in enhancing tear film stability

Lipid-containing artificial tears provided better stabilization of the tear film in patients with lipid deficiency compared to non-lipid-containing artificial tears, according to a poster presented at the 2024 American Academy of Optometry Annual Meeting.

The randomized trial included 39 patients with a tear lipid thickness (LLT) under 55nm, who were given Systane Ultra PF as a run-in treatment. One week later, participants were assigned either the lipid-containing Systane Complete PF (SC) or the non-lipid-containing Refresh Relieva PF (RR), used 4 times daily.

There was a significant reduction in LLT for those using RR (67.04nm to 59.46nm, P < 0.0001), while LLT with SC remained stable. The tear thinning rate increased significantly with RR (2.93%/s to 4.64%/s), but showed no significant change with SC. In addition, the fluorescein tear breakup time improved only with SC (4.46s to 6.28s, P = 0.0278).

The study concluded that lipid-containing artificial tears like Systane Complete PF may be more effective in stabilizing tear lipid thickness, reducing tear thinning, and improving tear breakup time compared to non-lipid alternatives, particularly for patients with lipid deficiency.

Reference
Ding J, et al. Comparison of Lipid-containing and Non-lipid-containing Artificial Tears on Tear Film Dynamics over a 3-month Period. 2024 American Academy of Optometry Annual Meeting; November 6-9, 2024; Indianapolis, IN.