Dry Eye Symptom Mitigation by Oral Intake of Probiotics

September 24, 2025 updated by: Chung Shan Medical University

A Clinical Trial of Dry Eye Symptom Mitigation by Oral Intake of Probiotics

This study investigates whether the oral intake of a probiotics capsule product may relieve dry eye symptoms. Participants will be aged between 20 - 65 years of age, with confirmed diagnosis of dry eye status. The participants will be assessed for several parameters and asked to take 1 probiotics capsule per day for 35 days. The parameters will include ocular surface health, tear volume, tear quality, intraocular pressure, tear osmolarity and serum biochemical test. After the 35 days are completed, the participants will be assessed again for the same parameters.

Study Overview

Status

Status

Indicates the current recruitment status or the expanded access status.
Completed

Conditions

Conditions

The disease, disorder, syndrome, illness, or injury that is being studied. On ClinicalTrials.gov, conditions may also include other health-related issues, such as lifespan, quality of life, and health risks.

Intervention / Treatment

Intervention / Treatment

A process or action that is the focus of a clinical study. Interventions include drugs, medical devices, procedures, vaccines, and other products that are either investigational or already available. Interventions can also include noninvasive approaches, such as education or modifying diet and exercise.

Detailed Description

This investigation is a randomized, double-blind study. Subjects with confirmed diagnosis of dry eye are randomly assigned to control group or treatment group, and asked to orally intake 1 capsule of either placebo or probiotics per day. All participants will be assessed for parameters, including intraocular pressure, ocular surface health, tear film breakup time (TBUT), tear volume (Schirmer's test), tear osmolarity, ocular surface impression cytology, ocular surface disease index (OSDI) and serum biochemical tests for quantification of hyaluronic acid, sialic acid, glutathione contents.The assessments are conducted at day1 for baseline and after the 35-day oral intake. The parameters are used to compare and evaluate whether the probiotics can relieve dry eye symptoms.

Study Type

Study Type

Describes the nature of a clinical study. Study types include interventional studies (also called clinical trials), observational studies (including patient registries), and expanded access.
Interventional

Enrollment (Actual)

Enrollment

The number of participants in a clinical study. The "anticipated" enrollment is the target number of participants that the researchers need for the study.
88

Phase

Phase

The stage of a clinical trial studying a drug or biological product, based on definitions developed by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The phase is based on the study's objective, the number of participants, and other characteristics. There are five phases: Early Phase 1 (formerly listed as Phase 0), Phase 1, Phase 2, Phase 3, and Phase 4. Not Applicable is used to describe trials without FDA-defined phases, including trials of devices or behavioral interventions.
  • Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

This section provides the contact details for those conducting the study, and information on where this study is being conducted.

Study Contact

Study Contact

The name and contact information for the person who can answer enrollment questions for a clinical study. Each location where the study is being conducted may also have a specific contact, who may be better able to answer those questions.
  • Name: David Pei-Cheng Lin
  • Phone Number: 886-910-371286
  • Email: pcl@csmu.edu.tw

Study Contact Backup

Study Locations

  • Taiwan
      • Taichung, Taiwan, 412
        • Jen-Ai Hospital

Participation Criteria

Researchers look for people who fit a certain description, called eligibility criteria. Some examples of these criteria are a person's general health condition or prior treatments.

Eligibility Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

The key requirements that people who want to participate in a clinical study must meet or the characteristics they must have. Eligibility criteria consist of both inclusion criteria (which are required for a person to participate in the study) and exclusion criteria (which prevent a person from participating). Types of eligibility criteria include whether a study accepts healthy volunteers, has age or age group requirements, or is limited by sex.

Ages Eligible for Study

  • Adult
  • Older Adult

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • aged between 20 and 65 years
  • with Schirmer's test results less than 10 mm or Ocular Surface Disease Index more than 25

Exclusion Criteria:

  • evident ocular diseases such as cornea disease, cataract, vitreous degeneration, glaucoma, and retinopathy.
  • diabetes
  • hypertension
  • or other chronic diseases or belong to vulnerable groups(pregnancy woman, prisoner, ethical minorities, economic or educationally disadvantaged subjects, disabled individuals such as those at terminal stage of tumorigenesis, blindness, terminal ill individuals)

Study Plan

This section provides details of the study plan, including how the study is designed and what the study is measuring.

How is the study designed?

Design Details

  • Primary Purpose: Treatment
  • Allocation: Randomized
  • Interventional Model: Parallel Assignment
  • Masking: Double

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm

Participant Group / Arm

A group or subgroup of participants in a clinical trial that receives a specific intervention/treatment, or no intervention, according to the trial's protocol.
Intervention / Treatment

Intervention / Treatment

A process or action that is the focus of a clinical study. Interventions include drugs, medical devices, procedures, vaccines, and other products that are either investigational or already available. Interventions can also include noninvasive approaches, such as education or modifying diet and exercise.
Placebo Comparator: Control group
Subjects will take a capsule of containing microcrystalline cellulose per day for 35 days.
Dietary supplement: Placebo
A specific capsule product, containing microcrystalline cellulose will be given to participants for oral intake for 35 days.
Experimental: Treatment group
Subjects will take a capsule of containing Streptococcus thermophilus per day for 35 days.
Dietary supplement: Probiotics
A specific probiotics capsule product, containing Streptococcus thermophilus will be given to participants for oral intake for 35 days.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Primary Outcome Measures

In a clinical study's protocol, the planned outcome measure that is the most important for evaluating the effect of an intervention/treatment. Most clinical studies have one primary outcome measure, but some have more than one.
Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Change of Schirmer's Test Value from Baseline
Time Frame: on baseline and day36
The Schirmer's Test is used to assess tear secretion volume. The amounts of tears are measured in total millimeters after 5 minutes has elapsed. Lower measurement amount is regarded as a parameter of presence of dry eye disease.
on baseline and day36
Change of Tear Film Breakup Time from Baseline
Time Frame: on baseline and day36
Tear Break-Up Time is a measurement to reflect tear quality and is expressed in seconds. The shorter the Tear Break-Up Time, the poorer the tear film stability and quality. Lower measurement outcome (less than 10 seconds) is regarded as a parameter of presence of dry eye disease.
on baseline and day36
Ocular Surface Index Change from Baseline
Time Frame: on baseline and day36
Ocular Surface Index is assessed with fluorescein staining to reflect ocular surface damages. The staining scale ranges from 0 to 3, from milder to severe status, where grade 0 shows no staining, and grade 3 shows extensive staining.
on baseline and day36
Tear Osmolality Change from Baseline
Time Frame: on baseline and day36
Tear osmolality is used as a parameter of dry eye status.
on baseline and day36
Serum Biochemical Test
Time Frame: on baseline and day36
To determine the effects of oral probiotics intake on the contents of hyaluronic acid, sialic acid, and glutathione in the serum.
on baseline and day36

Secondary Outcome Measures

Secondary Outcome Measures

In a clinical study's protocol, a planned outcome measure that is not as important as the primary outcome measure for evaluating the effect of an intervention but is still of interest. Most clinical studies have more than one secondary outcome measure.
Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Ocular Surface Impression Cytology Change from Baseline
Time Frame: on baseline and day36
To assess the status of conjunctival goblet cells and epithelium.
on baseline and day36
Ocular Surface Disease Index Score Change from Baseline
Time Frame: on baseline and day36
A questionnaire is used to assess the health status on ocular surface, with higher scores indicating more severe status.
on baseline and day36
Intraocular Pressure Change from Baseline
Time Frame: on baseline and day36
To determine the effects of intervention on intraocular pressure.
on baseline and day36

Collaborators and Investigators

This is where you will find people and organizations involved with this study.

Sponsor

Sponsor

The organization or person who initiates the study and who has authority and control over the study.
Chung Shan Medical University

Collaborators

Collaborators

An organization other than the sponsor that provides support for a clinical study. This support may include activities related to funding, design, implementation, data analysis, or reporting.
Nutrarex Biotech Co., Ltd.

Investigators

Investigators

A researcher involved in a clinical study. Related terms include site principal investigator, site sub-investigator, study chair, study director, and study principal investigator.
  • Principal Investigator: David Pei-Cheng Lin, Chung Shan Medical University

Publications and helpful links

The person responsible for entering information about the study voluntarily provides these publications. These may be about anything related to the study.

General Publications

Study record dates

These dates track the progress of study record and summary results submissions to ClinicalTrials.gov. Study records and reported results are reviewed by the National Library of Medicine (NLM) to make sure they meet specific quality control standards before being posted on the public website.

Study Major Dates

Study Start (Actual)

Study Start

The actual date on which the first participant was enrolled in a clinical study. The "anticipated" study start date is the date that the researchers think will be the study start date.
May 13, 2023

Primary Completion (Actual)

Primary Completion

The date on which the last participant in a clinical study was examined or received an intervention to collect final data for the primary outcome measure. Whether the clinical study ended according to the protocol or was terminated does not affect this date. For clinical studies with more than one primary outcome measure with different completion dates, this term refers to the date on which data collection is completed for all the primary outcome measures. The "anticipated" primary completion date is the date that the researchers think will be the primary completion date for the study.
August 31, 2023

Study Completion (Actual)

Study Completion

The date on which the last participant in a clinical study was examined or received an intervention/treatment to collect final data for the primary outcome measures, secondary outcome measures, and adverse events (that is, the last participant's last visit). The "anticipated" study completion date is the date that the researchers think will be the study completion date.
December 31, 2023

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

First Submitted

The date on which the study sponsor or investigator first submitted a study record to ClinicalTrials.gov. There is typically a delay of a few days between the first submitted date and the record's availability on ClinicalTrials.gov (the first posted date).
May 19, 2023

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

The date on which the study sponsor or investigator first submits a study record that is consistent with National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review criteria. The sponsor or investigator may need to revise and submit a study record one or more times before NLM's QC review criteria are met. It is the responsibility of the sponsor or investigator to ensure that the study record is consistent with the NLM QC review criteria.
June 14, 2023

First Posted (Actual)

First Posted

The date on which the study record was first available on ClinicalTrials.gov after National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review has concluded. There is typically a delay of a few days between the date the study sponsor or investigator submitted the study record and the first posted date.
June 15, 2023

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Estimated)

Last Update Posted

The most recent date on which changes to a study record were made available on ClinicalTrials.gov. There may be a delay between when the changes were submitted to ClinicalTrials.gov by the study's sponsor or investigator (the last update submitted date) and the last update posted date.
September 26, 2025

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

The most recent date on which the study sponsor or investigator submitted changes to a study record that are consistent with National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review criteria. It is the responsibility of the sponsor or investigator to ensure that the study record is consistent with the NLM QC review criteria.
September 24, 2025

Last Verified

Last Verified

The most recent date on which the study sponsor or investigator confirmed the information about a clinical study on ClinicalTrials.gov as accurate and current. If a study with a recruitment status of recruiting; not yet recruiting; or active, not recruiting has not been confirmed within the past 2 years, the study's recruitment status is shown as unknown.
June 1, 2023

More Information

Terms related to this study

Keywords

Additional Relevant MeSH Terms

Other Study ID Numbers

Other Study ID Numbers

Identifiers or ID numbers other than the NCT number that are assigned to a clinical study by the study's sponsor, funders, or others. These numbers may include unique identifiers from other trial registries and National Institutes of Health grant numbers.
  • 202300014B0

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?

NO

Drug and device information, study documents

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product

No

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product

No

This information was retrieved directly from the website clinicaltrials.gov without any changes. If you have any requests to change, remove or update your study details, please contact register@clinicaltrials.gov. As soon as a change is implemented on clinicaltrials.gov, this will be updated automatically on our website as well.

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