Clinical Report: Evidence Mapping of Acupuncture and Moxibustion for Dry Eye Disease

Overview

This evidence mapping study synthesized 319 randomized controlled trials on acupuncture and moxibustion for dry eye disease, highlighting their potential benefits and identifying methodological limitations. Liver-kidney yin deficiency was the most common TCM syndrome type studied, with ocular surface health, TCM symptom scores, and clinical efficacy as primary outcome measures.

Background

Dry eye disease is a prevalent chronic ocular surface disorder characterized by symptoms such as dryness, foreign body sensation, and visual fatigue, affecting up to 30% of the Chinese population. Conventional treatment with artificial tears provides short-term relief but lacks sustained efficacy and may cause adverse effects. Acupuncture and moxibustion, traditional Chinese medicine therapies, have shown promise in improving tear film stability and ocular surface health. However, a comprehensive synthesis of high-quality clinical evidence supporting these interventions has been lacking.

Data Highlights

Key Findings

• Acupuncture and moxibustion demonstrate advantages in treating dry eye disease, improving tear film break-up time and Schirmer test results.
• Liver-kidney yin deficiency syndrome was the predominant TCM syndrome type addressed in included studies.
• Outcome measures primarily focused on ocular surface health, TCM symptom scores, and clinical efficacy.
• The methodological quality of existing RCTs was generally low, with common risks of bias identified.
• There is a lack of standardized application of TCM syndrome differentiation and outcome indicators in dry eye disease research.
• Future studies need stricter adherence to randomization protocols and improved data handling to strengthen evidence quality.

Clinical Implications

Clinicians may consider acupuncture and moxibustion as complementary therapies for dry eye disease, particularly in patients with liver-kidney yin deficiency syndrome. However, due to the generally low methodological quality of existing trials, treatment decisions should be made cautiously. Standardization of TCM syndrome differentiation and outcome assessments is needed to better guide clinical practice.

Conclusion

Acupuncture and moxibustion hold promise for managing dry eye disease, but higher-quality randomized controlled trials with rigorous methodology are required to confirm their efficacy and inform clinical guidelines.

References

1. Liu et al. 2025 -- Mapping Clinical Evidence from Randomized Controlled Trials on Acupuncture and Moxibustion for the Management of Dry Eye Disease