Short-term effects of instillation of a rebamipide suspension on visual function

Purpose: To investigate the short-term adverse effects of using rebamipide for the treatment of dry eye by assessing visual function and optical quality. Methods: This interventional noncomparative study included 14 right eyes of 14 healthy volunteers. Serial measurements of visual acuity (VA) and higher-order aberrations were obtained prior to instillation of the rebamipide suspension (baseline) and immediately after and at 5, 10, 20, and 30 min after instillation. Functional VA measurement was performed over a 60-s period with the subject blinking naturally. Ocular aberrations were measured for 10 s while the subject was told not to blink, but no topical anesthesia was applied. Each patient also filled out a questionnaire exploring the rebamipide-Associated adverse effects. Results: There was no significant difference between functional VA measured at baseline and at each time point after the instillation of rebamipide. In contrast, the root mean square of third-order and total higher-order aberrations increased significantly immediately after drug instillation (P<0.05). The severity of higher-order aberrations at baseline was similar to that observed at 5, 10, 20, and 30 min after instillation (P>0.05). Conclusions: The transient reduction in optical quality immediately after administration of rebamipide is corrected by the patient's natural blink reflex. The adverse effects observed in this study do not outweigh the benefits of rebamipide treatment.