ReviewOphthalmology and therapy2026
Comparative Efficacy of Topical Eye-Drop Regimens for Dry Eye After Cataract Surgery: A Systematic Review and Network Meta-analysis.
Review in Ophthalmology and therapy, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.
What it found
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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.
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Who cites it
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Authors and funding
4 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
introductionPostoperative dry eye can impair visual recovery and patients' perceived benefit after cataract surgery. We compared topical eye-drop regimens across tear-film stability, tear secretion, corneal epithelial damage, and patient-reported symptoms.
methodsA PROSPERO-registered review searched nine databases from inception to January 30, 2026, for randomized trials of ocular-surface treatments after cataract surgery. Frequentist random-effects network meta-analyses assessed 1-month tear-film breakup time, Schirmer test, corneal fluorescein staining, and Ocular Surface Disease Index; safety was summarized descriptively.
resultsForty-seven trials (102 arms; 4920 eyes assessed; 4844 arm-level analyzed observations) were included; 38 trials (81 arms; 3898 analysis units) contributed to network meta-analyses within a 19-node framework. Compared with routine postoperative care, moderate-confidence evidence indicated greater tear-film breakup time with diquafosol plus hyaluronic acid (mean difference 4.17 s, 95% confidence interval 1.99-6.35) and cyclosporine plus carboxymethylcellulose (3.97 s, 1.60-6.34), whereas low-confidence evidence suggested a possible increase with cyclosporine plus deproteinized calf blood extract (4.98 s, 1.93-8.03). Outcome-specific benefits were observed for tear secretion and corneal staining, whereas symptom findings were exploratory. Most top-ranked treatment nodes across the four networks were informed by only one or two trials with few analysis units. Some estimates were affected by high risk of bias or local incoherence. No statistically significant global inconsistency was detected overall.
conclusionsNo single topical regimen showed consistently favorable effects across all postoperative ocular-surface outcomes. Outcome-specific signals require confirmation because sparse direct evidence, risk of bias, and limited safety and longer-term data preclude definitive recommendations. Adequately powered head-to-head trials with standardized postoperative care are needed for future clinical guidance.
trial registrationPROSPERO CRD42026138249.
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