Tamarind seeds join the fight against dry eye

Tamarind seed polysaccharide (TSP) 0.5% and 1% offers at least equivalent relief from dry eye symptoms as hyaluronic acid (HA), according to a study published online by BMC Ophthalmology in March.

Maurizio Rolando and Cristiana Valente from the University of Genoa, Italy compared the activity of TSP and HA in an open-label, randomized, single centre clinical study. Thirty subjects were randomized to receive three or more applications per day of either TSP 0.5%, TSP 1% or HA 0.2% over a 90 day period. Tolerability was assessed by visual analogue scale (VAS).

TSP 0.5% and 1% were comparable to HA in terms of tolerability, stability of the pre-corneal tear film and corneal and conjunctival staining. However, TSP was found to be more beneficial than HA in terms of addressing subjective symptoms such as trouble blinking, ocular burning and foreign body sensation.

It was concluded that TSP is at least as effective against dry eye as HA and the authors suggest that larger studies are required to further establish the efficacy and safety of the compound as a treatment for dry eye syndrome.