Characteristics of study populations in the randomised clinical trials (RCTs) included in the systematic review
| Randomised clinical trial (country) | Number of patients (eyes) | Number of patients randomised per group (experimental/control) | Mean age of patients per group (experimental/control) | Gender per group (experimental/control) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Laibovitz et al (USA)8 | 26 patients (52 eyes with DE) | 13/13 | 58 (total) | Total 24F, 2M |
| Gunduz and Ozdemir (Turkey)9 | 30 patients (60 eyes with DE in SS) | 15/15 | 52.1 (total) | Total 27F, 3M |
| Sall et al (USA)10 | Results of 2 identical RCTs on 877 (1754 eyes with moderate to severe DE, 540 eyes with SS) | 293/292/292 | 58.7/60.1/59.9 | 244F, 49M/238F, 54M/233F, 59M |
| Stevenson et al (USA)11 | Total: 162 (324 eyes, 86 eyes with SS) with DE for safety, 90 with moderate to severe DE for efficacy analysis | Total: 31/32/34/32/33 | 59 (total) | Total 136F, 26M |
| Salib et al (USA)12 | 21 (42 eyes) patients with DE 1 month before LASIK | Not specified | 47 (total) | Total 19F, 2M |
| Sall et al (USA)13 | 60 (120 eyes with DE) | 20/20/20 | 59.5 (total) | Total 48F, 12M |
| Willen et al (USA)14 | 44 (88 eyes) CL wearers with DE symptoms | 22/22 | 44/42.2 | 18F, 4M/19F, 3M |
| Guzey et al (Turkey)15 | 64 (128 eyes) with severe trachomatous DE | 32/32 | 61.48/60.51 | 18F, 14M/17F, 15M |
| Kim et al (Korea)16 | 150 (300 eyes) with DE refractory to conventional treatments | 50/50/50 | 41.3/37.5/35.8 | 27F, 23/26F, 24M/33F, 17M |
| Altiparmak et al (Turkey)17 | 45 (90 eyes) with thyroid orbitopathy and DE | 20/25 | 41/40.9 | 21F, 4M/40F, 8M |
| Baiza-Duran et al (Mexico)18 | 183 with moderate to severe DE | Not specified | 57 (total) | Total 112F, 71M |
| Chen et al (China)19 | 233 (466 eyes) with DE | 116/117 | 46.5/46 | 83F, 33M/88F, 29M |
| Rao (USA)20 | 74 (148 eyes) patients with DE | 41/33 | 47.5/48.2 | 25F, 8M/16F, 17M |
| Demiryay et al (Turkey)21 | 42 (42 eyes) with DE | 22/20 | 46.6/44.3 | 20F, 2M/20F, 0M |
| Rao (USA)22 | 50 (100 eyes) with DE already treated with CsA twice daily for at least 1 year | 20/8+22 switched from artificial tears to CsA | 47.9/47.8+47.8 | Unspecified |
| Su et al (USA)23 | 100 (200 eyes) with DE already treated with CsA twice daily for at least 1 year | 50/50 | 67.3±13.3/66.4±15.2 | 42F, 8M/42F, 8M |
| Liew et al (USA)24 | 327 (654 eyes) with SS and non-SS DE | 47/46/47/48/48/44/47 | 58.9/59.5/60.7/58.7/59.9/59.8/62 | 38F, 9M/35F, 11M/49F, 7M/34F, 14M/39F, 9M/37F, 7M/32F, 15M |
| Schrell et al (Germany)25 | 51 (102 eyes) moderate to severe DE | 22/29 | 62/60 | 18F, 4M/22F, 7M |
CL, contact lens; CsA, ciclosporin A; DE, dry eye; LASIK, laser-assisted in situ keratomileusis; SS, Sjögren's syndrome.