The quality of evidence is downgraded by study limitations (selective outcome measurement and reporting), imprecise results (few patients and studies) and inconsistency (variability in results).
A Cochrane review [Abstract] 1 included 7 studies with a total of 463 subjects. Four studies evaluated lubricating drops and saline versus no treatment and 3 studies lubricating drops versus saline. One of the studies comparing lubricating drops and saline with no treatment provided no usable outcome data.
Lubricating drops compared with no treatment reduced contact lens discomfort (MD −5.9 points on a 37‐point scale, 95 % CI −3.74 to −8.05; 2 studies, n=119). One trial found no difference between lubricating drops and no treatment in "end‐of‐day" comfort. The trial that compared saline with no treatment provided no results for the control group.
Lubricating drops had little to no effect compared with saline on contact lens discomfort (MD 9.5 points on a visual analog scale of 0 to 100, 95% CI −4.65 to 23.65; 1 study, n=39).
No studies reported microbial keratitis, inflammatory corneal infiltrates or vision-threatening adverse events up to 4 weeks of treatment.
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