AIM: To observe the efficacy of vitamin A palmitate eye gel and carboxymethylcellulose sodium eye drops on prevention of dry eye after phacoemulsification.

METHODS: Ninety patients(ninety eyes)with age-related cataract enrolled in our hospital from March 2016 to August 2017 were performed phacoemulsification with intraocular lens implantation. They were randomly divided into three groups as control group(n=30), treated group Ⅰ(n=30)and treated group Ⅱ(n=30). The control group was administered with tobramycin and dexamethasone eye drops for 15d as the basis therapy. In treated group Ⅰ, patients were administered with carboxymethylcellulose sodium eye drops for 30d based on the treatment of the control group. The treated groupⅡ was administered with vitamin A palmitate eye gel for 30d on the basis of the treated group Ⅰ. The dry eye symptom score, corneal fluorescence(FL)staining scores, breakup time of tear film(BUT)and Schirmer Ⅰ test(SⅠt)without topical anesthesia were examined in 1d before operation and 15d and 30d after operation.

RESULTS: There were no statistically significant differences in subjective symptom scores of dry eye, BUT values, FL scores, and SⅠt values among the three groups before treatment(P>0.05). After treatment, dry eye symptom scores, FL scores, and SⅠt values increased at first and then decreased with time. BUT values decreased at first and then increased. Fifteen and thirty days after surgery, dry eye symptom scores, FL scores, and SⅠt values were significantly lower in the treated group Ⅰ and the treated group Ⅱ than in the control group. While BUT values were significantly higher than that in the control group. The dry eye symptom scores and SⅠt value of treated group Ⅱ were significantly lower than the treated group Ⅰ, and the BUT value was significantly higher than that of the treated group Ⅰ(P<0.05).

CONCLUSION: Phacoemulsification combined with intraocular lens implantation has a certain damage of ocular surface tissue on the initial stage. The application of vitamin A palmitate eye gel combined carboxymethylcellulose sodium eye drops can improve the dry eye symptoms.