To evaluate the effect of topical cyclosporine 0.05% (Restasis; Allergan, Irving, CA, USA) on tear osmolarity in patients with dry eye disease.

The present study was a single-center, randomized, prospective, and longitudinal trial. Patients who had been using artificial tears to treat dry eye disease were prescribed cyclosporine 0.05% and evaluated using tear osmolarity, tear break-up time, ocular surface staining score, Schirmer test, and the Ocular Surface Disease Index for symptomatic improvement. Clinical measurements of commonly used objective tests were performed at baseline and after 1, 3, and 6 months.

At the end of the study, patients demonstrated statistically significant improvement in tear break-up time (6.26 ± 1.26 sec at 3 months vs. 4.41 ± 1.63 sec at baseline, p = 0.022) and OSDI (34.98 ± 20.19 at 3 months vs . 45.02 ± 22.38 at baseline, p = 0.032) only at 3 months. Other measures such as Schirmer test, ocular surface grade, and tear osmolarity also showed improvement. However, the differences were not significant.

Over a 6-month period, topical cyclosporine 0.05% showed beneficial effects on symptoms and other commonly used signs of dry eye disease for 3 months; however, the tear osmolarity values were not significantly improved.