Association between Traditional Use of Bryophyllum pinnatum (Never-Die) and Visual Outcomes in Patients with Corneal Pathologies: A Retrospective Cohort Study

Abstract

The cornea is an avascular, transparent eye structure. It is responsible for uniform refraction of light that enters the eye and constitutes the anterior-most part of the eyeball. Topically administered drugs are absorbed primarily through the corneal route making the cornea the tissue most susceptible to toxic side effects of topical drugs in the management of ocular diseases. This study investigated the association between self-reported use of Bryophyllum pinnatum and visual acuity in patients presenting with various corneal pathologies. A total of 74 patients met the inclusion criteria of the study from the search in the clinic’s database. Of this group, 5 patients had missing folder records and 69 had sufficient records in their folder for the study. The results show that patients who were diagnosed with corneal pathologies including those that self-report instillation of Bryophyllum pinnatum showed significant visual changes such as reduction in visual acuity. The group that instilled Bryophyllum pinatum had an average LogMAR VA of 0.151 before management and an average LogMAR VA of   0.0938 after management. On the other hand, the group that did not instill the herb had an average LogMAR VA of 0.2183 before management and an average LogMAR VA of   0.2007 after management.  There was a wider margin of improvement post-management in the group that instilled the herb than those that did not. However, the difference was not statistically significant (p =0.3049 and 0.3717).  In conclusion, this retrospective study does not demonstrate efficacy or causation, but identifies a traditional practice and its correlation with certain clinical patterns, highlighting potential risks of self-administering ocular treatments. It underscores the need for a prospective, controlled trial to assess the safety and effects of standardized Bryophyllum pinnatum extracts on corneal health.