ReviewInternational ophthalmology2025
Mechanisms of acupuncture in the treatment of dry eye disease: narrative review of experimental studies.
Review in International ophthalmology, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 2 papers.
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.
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.
Who cites it
2 citing papers in PubMed.
- Acupuncture combined with auricular acupressure for dry eye: a SPIRIT-guided protocol for a multicenter randomized controlled trial.Frontiers in medicine · 2026Article
- Insights into the quality and guideline consistency of dry eye disease treatment videos on Chinese short-video platforms.Digital healthArticle
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
3 authors.
Funding
Abstract
purposeDry Eye Disease (DED) is a common ocular disorder characterized by tear film instability, ocular inflammation, and discomfort, which significantly affects the quality of life. Traditional treatments primarily address the symptoms but do not always target the underlying pathophysiology of DED. Acupuncture, a complementary therapy in traditional Chinese medicine, has shown the potential to improve DED symptoms through multiple mechanisms. This review aimed to explore the therapeutic effects of acupuncture on DED, focusing on its role in enhancing lacrimal gland function, modulating inflammatory pathways, and alleviating ocular pain.
methodsA comprehensive literature search was conducted across PubMed, Web of Science, and Scopus databases for studies published up to May 2025, using combinations of keywords including "acupuncture," "dry eye," and "experimental studies." Inclusion criteria were limited to laboratory-based studies investigating the mechanistic effects of acupuncture on DED.
resultsAcupuncture has been shown to improve tear production, reduce ocular surface inflammation, and regulate pain through various molecular pathways, including the upregulation of aquaporin 5 (AQP5), activation of the Vasoactive Intestinal Peptide (VIP)/cyclic Adenosine Monophosphate (cAMP)/Protein Kinase A (PKA) signaling pathway, and modulation of inflammatory mediators, including cytokines and microRNAs. Despite the promising clinical findings, the precise mechanisms through which acupuncture exerts its effects remain poorly understood.
conclusionCollectively, experimental findings provide mechanistic evidence supporting acupuncture as a multifaceted approach for DED management. Future research should aim to elucidate these mechanisms, optimize treatment protocols, and explore the integration of acupuncture with conventional therapies. Personalized acupuncture treatment strategies, combined with the development of biomarkers to monitor treatment efficacy, could further enhance their clinical application. This review highlights the potential of acupuncture as a novel and holistic approach to managing DED, warranting further investigation to fully establish its therapeutic role.
Indexed as
Identifiers
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Registered trials
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.