Abstract / Summary
Objective This study aimed to evaluate the effects of a 4-week acupuncture intervention on dry eye symptoms and ocular outcomes in adults with previously diagnosed dry eye disease (DED) and occupational visual display terminal (VDT) exposure. Methods Sixty participants were included in the final analysis (acupuncture, n = 30; control, n = 30). The acupuncture group received one 30-min session weekly for 4 weeks; the control group received no study-specific intervention. Ocular Surface Disease Index (OSDI), Schirmer testing, Snellen visual acuity, Computer Vision Syndrome Questionnaire (CVS-Q), Beck Anxiety Inventory (BAI), and Beck Depression Inventory (BDI) were assessed at baseline and after the fourth session. Revised efficacy analyses emphasized baseline-adjusted between-group effects; ocular analyses accounted for correlation between the two eyes, and multiplicity across CVS-Q symptom analyses was addressed using the Holm procedure. Results After adjustment for baseline OSDI, post-treatment OSDI was lower in the acupuncture group than in the control group (adjusted treatment effect, −29.20 points; 95% confidence interval [CI], −37.43 to −20.97; p < 0.001). Schirmer values were higher after accounting for baseline measurements and within-participant correlation between eyes (adjusted treatment effect, +6.14 mm; 95% CI, +4.61 to +7.67; p < 0.001). The adjusted between-group effect on Snellen visual acuity was not statistically significant (+0.017; 95% CI, −0.003 to +0.037; p = 0.091). Secondary analyses favored acupuncture for BAI (−4.06; 95% CI, −7.02 to −1.10; p = 0.008) and BDI (–3.94; 95% CI, −7.39 to −0.49; p = 0.026). Conclusions Four weeks of acupuncture were associated with greater improvement in DED symptom burden and tear production than no study intervention, but not with a statistically significant improvement in visual acuity.