Managing of Dry Eye Disease During Pregnancy: Use of Sodium Hyaluronate 0.21 %

Introduction . Pregnant women are objects of special attention of physicians due to two main reasons. The first one is that the fetal life depends on the health and quality of life of a future mother. The second is associated with increased load on all organs and systems of the female body, including the organ of vision. However, manifestations of dry eye syndrome (DES) in this contingent are often not given due attention and often remain untreated, which has a negative impact on the quality of life of women during this difficult period and can lead to diseases of the anterior segment of the eye. The aim of the study was to evaluate the effectiveness of a drug based on sodium hyaluronate 0.21 % in pregnant women with dry eye syndrome due to dysfunction of the meibomian glands. Р atients and methods . The study included 60 patients (120 eyes) with dry eye syndrome with an average age of 31.45 ± 5.98 years and a follow-up period of 3 months. There were 2 groups of patients: the main group (pregnant women with DES) and the control group (non-pregnant women with DES). Patients of both groups were administered a preservative-free form of 0.21 % sodium hyaluronate three times a day for 3 months. All studied patients underwent standard methods of examination, indicators of DES were assessed along with an objective valuation of tear film parameters and meibomian glands condition by digital biomicroscopy on a MediWorks slit lamp (Precision Instruments Co., Ltd., Shanghai) at the time of first visit and at 1 and 3 months of follow-up. Results and discussion . A comparative analysis of therapy effectiveness in the main and control groups showed that OSDI scores (ocular surface disease index), non-invasive tear breakup time (NITBUT) and meibomian gland function improved after treatment in both groups. Early diagnosis and timely correction of DES manifestations in pregnant women by administration of tear replacement therapy with preservative-free sodium hyaluronate 0.21 %, as well as eyelid hygiene can improve the quality of life of this group of patients and prevent associated with DES complications. Conclusion . The selected preservative-free tear replacement therapy with sodium hyaluronate 0.21 % (Optinol® Express moisturizing) provided a combination of ocular surface moisturizing and reducing the risk of inflammatory lesions with facilitating the release of meibomian gland secretion, contributing to the effectiveness and prolongation of therapy.