Patent ID: 8648057

Claim:
A method of treating epithelial defects in the cornea and/or conjunctiva of the eye, comprising: administering to an animal a pharmaceutical composition, said pharmaceutical composition consisting of a liquid and being free of phosphates, moxaverin, heparn, panthenol and/or pantothenic acid, and wherein the concentration of calcium ions in said composition is less than 0.1 mmol/l, and said pharmaceutical composition includes at least one calcium chelating agent selected from the group consisting of citrate salts, citric acid, and mixtures thereof, and at least one ophthalmologically compatible viscosity regulator selected from the group consisting of hyaluronic acid, hyaluronates, and mixtures thereof, wherein said hyaluronic acid, or hyaluronate, has a molecular weight of from about 50,000 to about 10,000,000 Daltons, in amounts effective to treat said epithelial defects in the cornea and/or conjunctiva of the eye, wherein said epithelial defects in the cornea and/or conjunctiva of the eye result from wetting disorders of the surface of the eye and are selected from the group consisting of Sjögren syndrome, sicca syndrome, and wetting disorders of the eye in contact lens wearers.