Table 2 Ocular surface parameters of participants before and after treatment

Ocular symptoms

OSDI (score) - mean (SD)

38.65 ± 17.93

24.06 ± 12.33

18.80 ± 11.75

<0.01

Severe (33–100) - n (%)

8 (27%)

9 (30%)

6 (20%)

Moderate (23–32) - n (%)

4 (13%)

6 (20%)

5 (17%)

Mild (13–22) - n (%)

18 (60%)

9 (30%)

13 (43%)

No dry eye symptom (0–12) - n (%)

0 (0%)

6 (20%)

6 (20%)

NRS (score) - median (Q1, Q3)

3 (2, 5.5)

2 (2, 3.25)

2 (0, 2)

<0.01

Severe pain (7–10) - n (%)

7 (23%)

2 (7%)

1 (3%)

Moderate pain (4–6) - n (%)

6 (20%)

5 (17%)

1 (3%)

Mild pain (1–3) - n (%)

17 (57%)

19 (63%)

19 (63%)

No pain (0) - n (%)

0 (0%)

4 (13%)

9 (30%)

NPSI-Eye (score) - mean (SD)

5.23 ± 10.76

2.50 ± 7.23

0.02 ± 0.10

0.02

Burning spontaneous pain

0.83 ± 1.89

0.25 ± 0.71

0.02 ± 0.10

0.04

Pressing spontaneous pain

0.46 ± 1.09

0.33 ± 0.86

0.04 ± 0.20

0.05

Paroxysmal pain

0.11 ± 0.31

0.13 ± 0.56

0.02 ± 0.10

0.08

Evoked pain

0.79 ± 1.88

0.35 ± 1.08

0.05 ± 0.02

0.03

Paresthesia/dysesthesia

0.43 ± 1.25

0.15 ± 0.67

0.04 ± 0.20

0.21

Ocular signs

TBUT (s) - mean (SD)

3.90 ± 2.92

6.10 ± 3.37

6.68 ± 2.95

<0.01

CFS (score) - median (Q1, Q3)

3.00 (0, 5)

0 (0, 1)

0 (0, 0.5)

<0.01

LG (score) - median (Q1, Q3)

0 (0, 2)

0 (0, 0)

0 (0, 0)

0.11

Schirmer I test (mm) - mean (SD)

13.73 ± 9.33

17.25 ± 10.02

18.28 ± 7.98

<0.01

Corneal nerve parameters- mean (SD)

Corneal sensitivity (cm)

5.77 ± 0.41

5.93 ± 0.13

5.99 ± 0.02

<0.01

CNFD (n/mm²)

20.66 ± 9.14

20.90 ± 8.37

20.27 ± 7.85

0.76

CNBD (n/mm²)

46.83 ± 33.51

43.25 ± 31.16

39.13 ± 31.65

0.22

CNFL (mm/mm²)

15.93 ± 5.10

15.07 ± 4.66

15.06 ± 4.21

0.18

CTBD (n/mm²)

83.02 ± 53.32

70.62 ± 44.51

68.14 ± 46.25

0.15

CNFW (mm /mm²)

0.021 ± 0.00

0.022 ± 0.00

0.022 ± 0.00

0.69