Association between Traditional Chinese Medicine patterns and dry eye in the Chinese population - A cross-sectional study

Sep 30, 2026

Investigated the distribution of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) patterns and their relationship to dry eye. This cross-sectional study was conducted at Beijing Tongren Hospital’s Dry Eye Diagnosis and Treatment Center and included 205 dry eye patients diagnosed using the TFOS DEWS II criteria. Participants completed a TCM dry-eye questionnaire and underwent comprehensive clinical examination. Spearman correlations assessed associations between TCM patterns and dry eye indicators across subtypes.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryHealthcare

FormatPDF

Pages8

Reading Time20 min

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Abstract

Introduction

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® Observational Study Association between Traditional Chinese Medicine patterns and dry eye in the Chinese population A cross-sectional study Jing Yu, PhDa , Yihan Guo, MDa , Lei Tian, PhDa , Xiaoniao Chen, PhDb , Kai Cao, PhDa , Lei Zhu, BSa , Mengnan Zhao, BSa , Lixin Qiu, PhDa , Ying Jie, PhDa ,* | Abstract
We investigated the distribution of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) patterns and their correlation with dry eye. This crosssectional study was conducted at Beijing Tongren Hospital’s Dry Eye Diagnosis and Treatment Center and included 205 patients diagnosed with dry eye following the TFOS DEWS II criteria. All patients underwent a comprehensive clinical examination for dry eye and completed the dry eye TCM questionnaire. TCM pattern differentiation was performed for all patients. We investigated the distribution of TCM patterns among patients with dry eye and examined the correlation between TCM patterns and dry eye indicators using Spearman correlation analysis. Based on patients’ symptoms, tongue coating, and pulse conditions, the 205 patients were classified into 11 TCM patterns. The 3 most common TCM patterns were qi stagnation and blood stasis pattern, spleen-kidney yang deficiency pattern, and qi-yin deficiency pattern. There were significant correlations between these TCM patterns and 1, 3, and 4 dry eye indicators, respectively. The proportion of TCM patterns and the correlations between TCM patterns and dry eye indicators varied among different dry eye subtypes. We preliminary investigated the distribution of TCM patterns among patients with dry eye and found a certain correlation between TCM patterns and dry eye indicators. These findings provide a theoretical basis for further research on TCM for treating dry eye. | | --- | | Abbreviations: CFS = corneal fluorescein staining, DED = dry eye disease, DEWS = Dry Eye Workshop, FBUT = tear film breakup time, LLT = lipid layer thickness, NIKBUT = noninvasive tear film breakup time, OSDI = ocular surface disease index, SIT = Schirmer I test, TCM = traditional Chinese medicine, TMH = tear meniscus height. | | Keywords: dry eye, Traditional Chinese Medicine, Traditional Chinese Medicine patterns | 1. Introduction Dry eye disease (DED) is a chronic ocular surface disease caused by several factors. DED is characterized by tear film instability or imbalance in the ocular surface microenvironment due to abnormalities in the quality, quantity, and dynamics of tears. It may be accompanied by ocular surface inflammation, tissue damage, and neurological abnormalities, leading to various symptoms and/or visual impairments.[1] With its increasing prevalence, DED has become one of the most common ocular surface diseases that affect people’s quality of life. According to the second edition of the International Dry Eye Workshop (DEWS) II consensus,[2] DED can be classified into aqueous deficiency, evaporative, and mixed types based on its etiology. As described in the report, the boundaries between aqueous deficiency DED and evaporative DED are not clearly defined, and both are associated with several factors. [3] In Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), DED can be categorized as “Bai Se Zheng”(white and astringent syndrome) and“Shen Shui Jiang Ku”(essence-wasting due to water depletion), characterized by dry and gritty sensation of the eyes, blurred vision, and the absence of redness or the presence of fine red veins on the sclera.[4] According to TCM theory, lingering pathogenic heat, deficiency of Qi and Yin, insufficiency of the liver This research was supported by “Beijing Municipal Administration of Hospitals Incubating Program,” code(PZ2020002).” The authors have no conflicts of interest to disclose. The datasets generated during and/or analyzed during the current study are not publicly available, but are available from the corresponding author on reasonable request. The studies involving human participants were reviewed and approved by Ethics

FAQs

How were participants diagnosed with dry eye in the study?

Patients were diagnosed with dry eye using the TFOS DEWS II criteria.

How many TCM patterns were identified and based on what information?

The 205 patients were classified into 11 TCM patterns based on symptoms, tongue coating, and pulse conditions.

What analytical method was used to examine relationships between TCM patterns and dry eye indicators?

Spearman correlation analysis was used to evaluate correlations between TCM patterns and dry eye indicators.

Sep 30, 2026

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