18 and older, any sex, with Dry Eye Syndrome. Patients with the condition only — healthy volunteers not accepted.
Results — posted to ClinicalTrials.gov
Per-arm endpoint measurements with 95% confidence intervals where reported. Source: trial results section.
A Measurable Difference in Tear Lipid Layer Thickness After 4 Weeks of Daily UsePrimary· 28 days
The primary endpoint is a measurable difference in tear lipid layer thickness between Optimel Manuka eye drops and Systane Ultra eye drops after 4 weeks of daily use. Tear film inferior lipid layer thickness (LLT; nm) is measured using the LipiView II (Johnson and Johnson Vision, USA). The participant's eye is positioned in front of an illumination source that is directed toward the tear film on the corneal surface. The camera records a 20-second video of the tear film interference and subsequently displays a value in interferometric colour units (ICU), where 1 ICU approximates 1nm of lipid la
Group
Value
95% CI
Manuka Eye Drops
-5.1
± 22.2
Systane Ultra
-3.2
± 21.8
A Measurable Difference in Tear Evaporation Rate After 4 Weeks of Daily Use.Primary· 28 days
A measurable difference in Tear evaporation rate between Optimel Manuka eye drops and Systane Ultra eye drops after 4 weeks of daily use. Measured using a Modified Vapometer. The Modified Vapometer is a closed chamber device which is used for measuring transepidermal water loss. Participants will be seated upright on a chair and provided with a distance fixation target. To minimize the effect of skin evaporation, petroleum jelly (Vaseline, http://www.unilever.com.au/brands-in-action/detail/Vaseline/299339/) will be applied over the upper eyelid and the surrounding areas. The VapoMeter will the
Group
Value
95% CI
Manuka Eye Drops
-10.8
± 16.7
Systane Ultra
0.7
± 10.8
A Measurable Difference in Fluorescein Tear Break-up Time After 4 Weeks of Daily UsePrimary· 28 days
A measurable difference in fluorescein tear break-up time between Optimel Manuka eye drops and Systane Ultra eye drops after 4 weeks of daily use. Fluorescein tear break-up time (TBUT; sec) (Opti-Strip-FL, Optimed, Lane Cove West, NSW, Australia) was measured viewed with a yellow Wratten filter (No. 12, Kodak) and cobalt light of the slit lamp biomicroscope. Three consecutive TBUT measurements for each eye were taken by a single masked investigator.
Group
Value
95% CI
Manuka Eye Drops
2.0
± 3.0
Systane Ultra
0.0
± 3.1
A Measurable Difference in Subjective Symptoms After 4 Weeks of Daily UseSecondary· 28 days
A measurable difference in subjective symptoms between Optimel Manuka eye drops and Systane Ultra eye drops after 4 weeks of daily use. Subjective symptoms is measured using an visual analogue scale ranging from 0 to 100, with higher scores meaning worse outcome. Participants are asked to visually represent their symptom severity by marking a dot on a line ten centimetres in length. These are then measured using a ruler to the nearest 0.5mm and given a score from zero to 100, with zero indicative of no symptoms and 100 suggesting maximum symptom severity
Burning/stinging
Group
Value
95% CI
Manuka Eye Drops
-10.7
± 23.2
Systane Ultra
-8.9
± 18.6
Grittiness/foreign body sensation
Group
Value
95% CI
Manuka Eye Drops
-20.8
± 20.4
Systane Ultra
-15.0
± 17.9
Dryness
Group
Value
95% CI
Manuka Eye Drops
-35.4
± 22.1
Systane Ultra
-32.2
± 19.2
Blurry vision
Group
Value
95% CI
Manuka Eye Drops
-13.6
± 22.5
Systane Ultra
-20.6
± 29.8
Overall discomfort
Group
Value
95% CI
Manuka Eye Drops
-14.7
± 15.1
Systane Ultra
-10.7
± 17.5
Adverse events — posted to ClinicalTrials.gov
Time frame: 3 months.
Reporting threshold: 0%.
Adverse-event reports describe events observed during the trial — not all are caused by the drug.
Traditionally, Manuka honey has been used to combat against bacteria and reduce inflammation (the body's way of reacting to infection, irritation or other injury). Due to the inflammatory nature of dry eye, Manuka eye drops show promise as a treatment for dry eye disease. The aim of this research is to compare the effects of two over the counter eye drops that are used to treat dry eye conditions over a one month period.
Publications & conference data
2 peer-reviewed publications reference this trial (live from Europe PMC):
NCT07295691 — Autologous Serum Eye Drops in Dry Eye Syndrome
· NA
· recruiting
NCT06914232 — Efficacy of Warm Compress Therapy in Enhancing Tear Film Quality and Reducing Postoperative DES
· NA
· active not recruiting
NCT06913556 — Comparing Effect of Hylorunic Acid and Lipid-coated Carbomer Gel on Dry Eyes After Phacoemulsification in DP
· NA
· active not recruiting
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Publications: Europe PMC API search by NCT ID, retrieved 10 June 2026
Drug + disease cross-links: matched in real time against Drug Landscape's normalised drug + company + condition tables
Sponsor: as reported to ClinicalTrials.gov by The University of New South Wales
Last refreshed: 18 May 2021
Drug Landscape aggregates and links these public records for informational use only. Always verify against the primary source before clinical or regulatory decisions. Canonical URL: https://druglandscape.com/trial/NCT03622619.