To evaluate the treatment effectiveness of topical cyclosporine A 0.05% on conjunctival goblet cell density in severe dry eye patients exposed to mustard gas.

In this prospective clinical study 19 eyes of 19 patients exposed to mustard gas with dry eye unresponsive to artificial tears therapy enrolled the study. Before and after treatment with topical cyclosporine A 0.05% twice daily for 3 months, they were evaluated using the OSDI for improvement in symptoms of the disease as well as Tear Breakup Time, Schirmer testing and superior bulbar conjuctival goblet cell density measurement for improvement in signs.

: The mean OSDI score before treatment was 42.8±6.1. After 3 month treatment with topical cyclosporine it reduced to 36.4±5.2 (p<0.001). The mean TBUT at baseline was 2.5±1.3 seconds which increased to 4.9±2.1 seconds (p<0.001). Value of mean Schirmer test 1 rose from 4.2±1.2 to 5.8±1.6 after treatment (p<0.001). Mean goblet cell density of all cases was 23.3±17.1 at baseline. It increased to 47.7±16.1 at the end of the study (p<0.001).

Treatment with topical cyclosporine A 0.05% increases goblet cell density in the bulbar conjunctiva in severe dry eye patients exposed to mustard gas and improves the symptoms of the disease as well.