Comparison of 0.1%, 0.18%, and 0.3% Hyaluronic Acid Eye Drops in the Treatment of Experimental Dry Eye

To compare the efficacy of 0.1%, 0.18%, and 0.3% hyaluronic acid (HA) artificial tear in the treatment of experimental dry eye (EDE). EDE was established in female C57BL/6 mice through an air draft and subcutaneous scopolamine injection. The mice were divided into 5 groups according to topical treatment regimens (n = 5 each): EDE control, balanced salt solution (BSS), preservative-free 0.1% HA, 0.18% HA, and 0.3% HA. The tear film break-up time (TBUT) and corneal fluorescein staining scores were measured 5, 10, 14, 21, and 28 days after treatment. The corneal smoothness scores were measured. In addition, periodic acid-Schiff (PAS) and terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase dUTP nick end labeling (TUNEL) staining were performed. The values for TBUT and corneal fluorescein staining showed greater improvements in all the HA groups (P