Efficacy and safety of topical 3% diquafosol ophthalmic solution for the treatment of multifactorial dry eye disease: Meta-Analysis of randomized clinical trials

Purpose: A meta-Analysis was performed to evaluate the safety and efficacy of topical 3% diquafosol in treating patients with dry eye disease (DED). Methods: Nine qualified randomized controlled trials incorporating 1,467 patients were included. Two of the reviewers selected the studies and independently assessed the risk of bias. The outcome measures were Schirmer score, tear film break-up time (TFBUT), rose bengal staining score, and corneal fluorescein staining score. To confirm the effect of diquafosol on dryness after cataract surgery, we performed a subgroup analysis according to the presence or absence of surgery. Results: We observed statistically significant improvements in scores on the Schirmer test (weighted mean difference 0.74 mm at 4 weeks; 95% CI: 0.24-1.24; I2 0%), fluorescein stain, rose bengal stain, and TFBUT after treatment with diquafosol compared with the group using other eye drops. As a result of the subgroup analysis of DED after cataract surgery, diquafosol was found to be more effective than the other eye drops with regard to TFBUT and rose bengal staining. Conclusions: Topical diquafosol could be an effective treatment for DED, and also for DED after cataract surgery. Further randomized controlled trials with larger sample sizes for the different clinical types of DED are warranted to determine the efficacy and limitations of diquafosol for these different clinical types of DED.