Effect of Sunflower Lecithin Supplementation on Meibomian Gland Function in Adults With Dry Eye Disease

March 14, 2024 updated by: George Washington University
This prospective study will evaluate the effect of oral sunflower lecithin dietary supplementation on meibomian gland function in adults with dry eye disease.

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

Enrolled patients in the active arm of the study (n=20) will receive a daily dose of four sunflower lecithin 1,200 mg soft-gel capsules for a duration of 90 days. Patients in the control arm (n=10) will receive four doses of a 1,000 mg placebo soft-gel capsules (containing olive oil). Patients will be evaluated for meibomian gland function and signs and symptoms of dry eye at baseline and at the end of the study using a standardized eye dryness survey (SPEED survey), Tear Breakup Time Measurement, Meibomian Gland Score, and a rapid in-office assessment of years (InflammaDry).

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.
31

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.

Study Locations

  • United States
    • District of Columbia
      • Washington, District of Columbia, United States, 20037
        • The GW Medical Faculty Associates

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:

  • Age greater than18 at the time of informed consent
  • Clinical diagnosis of dry eye in both eyes
  • Fluorescein tear film break-up time (TBUT) less than 10s in both eyes
  • The presence of lid margin scaling, telangiectasia, collarette or meibomian gland plugging on slit-lamp examination
  • Best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA, Snellen) of 20/40 or better in each eye
  • Patient Evaluation of Eye Dryness (SPEED) questionnaire score >6 to <14
  • Must understand; be willing and able, and likely to fully comply with study procedures, visit schedule, and restrictions

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Any pre-existing ocular disease other than dry eye disease
  • Patients with inability to swallow soft gel capsules
  • Severe illness, pregnancy or breastfeeding, smoking, and regular use of strongly anticholinergic drugs.
  • Drastic change of food and/or food supplements within the last month.
  • Other food supplement with fatty acids
  • Evidence of acute ocular infection and⁄or intraocular inflammation within 1 month prior to the onset of this study.
  • Ocular surgery within the last 6 months.
  • Patients treated with topical ocular, steroidal or non-steroidal, anti-inflammatory treatment within the last month.
  • Occlusion therapy with lacrimal or punctum plugs within the last 3 months.
  • Alterations of the lacrimal drainage system
  • Eyelid abnormalities
  • Patients on oral tetracycline or corticosteroids
  • Active allergy or infection at the ocular surface

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: Other
  • 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.
Experimental: Sunflower Lecithin
Total 4800 mg sunflower lecithin per day taken in 4 softgel capsules
Dietary supplement: Sunflower lecithin
Lecithins are a group of essential phospholipids that are involved in a number of biological functions such as lipid-cholesterol transport, transmembrane signaling, and neurological function
Placebo Comparator: Olive Oil
Total 4000 mg olive oil per day taken in 4 softgel capsules
Dietary supplement: Olive oil
Extra virgin olive oil

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 from Baseline of the SPEED questionnaire score at Day 90
Time Frame: 90 days
To assess the improvement of dry eye symptoms by SPEED questionnaire. 0 score is the minimum (no dry eye symptom); 64 is the maximum score (most symptomatic). Change = (Day 90 score - Baseline score)
90 days

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
Change from Baseline of Fluorescein Tear Break-Up Time (Seconds) at Day 90
Time Frame: 90 days
Fluorescein Tear Break-Up Time (TBUT) is a measurement in seconds of tear film stability. The shorter the TBUT, the lower the tear film stability. Lower tear film stability is associated with dry eye. Change = (Day 90 value - Baseline value)
90 days
Change in number of MMP-positive eyes at Day 90
Time Frame: 90 days
InflammaDry is a noninvasive immunoassay for detecting the presence of MMP-9 in tears.
90 days
Least Squares Mean Change from Baseline in Meibomian Gland Score (MGS) at Day 90
Time Frame: 90 days
Meibomian glands on the eyelids assessed by the examiner using a Meibomian Gland Evaluator (MGE) and a slit lamp microscope. An MGE instrument applies a standardized force simulating the pressure of a deliberate blink allowing eye care professionals to observe meibomian gland functionality through a slit lamp. 5 glands in 1 zone (nasal) evaluated for each eye and scored from 0 to 3, with a resultant overall score (MGS) of 0 to 15 for each eye. Scoring as follows: 0 = no secretion (worst), 1 = inspissated, 2 = cloudy, 3 = clear liquid (best). A higher change from baseline score indicates an improvement in meibomian gland function.
90 days

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.
George Washington 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.
Virginia Lions Institute Foundation

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.
  • Study Chair: David Belyea, MD, The George Washington University

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.
June 20, 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.
October 26, 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.
October 26, 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).
September 22, 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.
September 22, 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.
September 28, 2023

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Actual)

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.
March 15, 2024

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.
March 14, 2024

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.
March 1, 2024

More Information

Terms related to this study

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.
  • 101 (Hamilton Integrated Research Ethics Board)

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.

Cookie Settings

We use cookies to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website. For more details carefully read our Privacy and Cookies Policy. ...>>>You can change your preferences or withdraw your consent at any time by deleting the cookies from your website or computer as described in the policy. Please accept it and choose your preferences by ticking the corresponding boxes in the "Manage Settings" section below. Please carefully read our Terms of Service before you proceed with using any part of this website.
«Manage Settings