Topical rebamipide at 2% concentration improves tear stability and symptoms in dry eye disease

Posted on

Topical rebamipide is a safe and effective treatment for dry eye disease, significantly improving tear stability and symptoms compared to artificial tears, according to a study.

In this systematic review and meta-analysis, researchers analyzed 12 randomized controlled trials involving 1,368 eyes published between 2012 and 2023 to evaluate 2% rebamipide (RBM) ophthalmic suspension’s effectiveness compared to artificial tears.

The findings showed that RBM significantly improved tear breakup time and dry eye diseaserelated symptom scores. There were no notable differences in adverse events between the RBM and artificial tear groups.

Reference
Chiu CW, Tam KW, Lin IC. Safety and efficacy of rebamipide compared to artificial tears for the treatment of dry eye: a systematic review and meta-analysis. BMC Ophthalmol. 2025;25(1):317. doi: 10.1186/s12886-025-04146-0. PMID: 40426110.