Evidence map›Paper›PMID 36145126›Full record

Trial reportNutrients2022

The Utility of Oral Vitamin B1 and Mecobalamin to Improve Corneal Nerves in Dry Eye Disease: An In Vivo Confocal Microscopy Study.

Xiaotong Ren, Yilin Chou, Yuexin Wang, Dalan Jing, Yanyan Chen, Xuemin Li

Open access · goldAbstract readRandomized Controlled Trial
In one paragraph

Trial report in Nutrients, 2022. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 12 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
12citing papers in PubMed, 1 pooled it
2.4field-weighted citation impact, top 12% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

12 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 16 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. The Efficacy of Oral Vitamin Supplementation in Dry Eye Disease: A Systematic Review.Ophthalmic & physiological optics : the journal of the British College of Ophthalmic Opticians (Optometrists) · 2026
    Pooled it
  2. Vitamins and nutraceuticals in glaucoma research.European journal of ophthalmology · 2026
    Review
  3. Review
  4. Article
  5. B Vitamins and Ocular Health.Clinical ophthalmology (Auckland, N.Z.) · 2026
    Review
  6. Article
  7. Review
  8. Article
  9. Review
  10. Review
  11. Review
  12. Review
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

6 authors at 3 institutions in 1 country.

Xiaotong RenDepartment of Ophthalmology, Peking University Third Hospital, Beijing 100191, China.ORCID 0000-0001-8520-7198
Yilin ChouDepartment of Ophthalmology, BenQ Medical Center, The Affiliated BenQ Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing 210000, China.
Yuexin WangDepartment of Ophthalmology, Peking University Third Hospital, Beijing 100191, China.
Dalan JingDepartment of Ophthalmology, Peking University Third Hospital, Beijing 100191, China.
Yanyan ChenDepartment of Ophthalmology, Daqing Oilfield General Hospital, Daqing 163311, China.
Xuemin LiDepartment of Ophthalmology, Peking University Third Hospital, Beijing 100191, China.ORCID 0000-0002-4018-9974
Peking University · CNDaqing Oilfield General Hospital · CNNanjing Medical University · CN

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Our purpose is to demonstrate the changes in cornea nerve parameters and symptoms and signs in dry eye disease (DED) patients after oral vitamin B1 and mecobalamin treatment. In this randomized double-blind controlled trial, DED patients were randomly assigned to either the treatment group (oral vitamin B1 and mecobalamin, artificial tears) or the control group (artificial tears). Corneal nerve parameters via in vivo confocal microscopy (IVCM), DED symptoms, and signs were assessed at baseline and 1 and 3 months post-treatment. In total, 398 eyes from 199 patients were included. In the treatment group, there were significant improvements in corneal nerve length, width, and neuromas, the sign of conjunctival congestion score (CCS), symptoms of dryness, pain, photophobia, blurred vision, total symptom score, and OSDI (OSDI) at 1/3 months post-treatment (all p < 0.05). Patients who received vitamin B1 and mecobalamin showed greater improvement in CCS, dryness scores at 1 month (p < 0.05), corneal fluorescein staining (CFS) (p = 0.012), photophobia (p = 0.032), total symptom scores (p = 0.041), and OSDI (p = 0.029) at 3 months. Greater continuous improvement in CFS (p = 0.045), dryness (p = 0.033), blurred vision (p = 0.031) and total symptom scores (p = 0.023) was demonstrated at 3 months than at 1 month post-treatment in the treatment group. We found that oral vitamin B1 and mecobalamin can improve corneal nerve length, width, reflectivity and the number of neuromas in IVCM, thereby repairing epithelial cells and alleviating some ocular symptoms. Thus, vitamin B1 and mecobalamin are potential treatment options for patients with DED.

Indexed as

Dry Eye SyndromesNeuromaCorneaFluoresceinsHumansLubricant Eye DropsMicroscopy, ConfocalPhotophobiaTearsThiamineVitamin B 12FluoresceinsLubricant Eye DropsmecobalaminThiamineVitamin B 12corneal nerve parametersdry eye disease (DED)in vivo confocal microscopy (IVCM)mecobalaminvitamin B1

Identifiers

PMID36145126
PMCPMC9504679
OpenAlexW4296588735

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.