Comparison of Tear Function Tests for Dry Eye Assessment in relation to OSDI Score Severity

Abstract

Purpose: To compare the Schirmer I test and Tear Break Up Time (TBUT) results in a group of healthy patients and with Sjögren Syndrome from Fundación Hospital Nuestra Señora de la Luz I.A.P. at Mexico City according to the severity of the symptoms by OSDI score

Methods: We included two groups of patients, a control group of asymptomatic patients, clinically healthy, and a study group of patients with moderate to severe dry eye with Sjögren syndrome in the period May to October 2013. The Ocular Surface Disease Index (OSDI) questionnaire was applied to determine the symptomatic severity of dry eye in both groups. Subsequently we performed Schirmer I test and TBUT in both eyes. For statistical analysis we used T test and R-squared

Results: We reviewed 30 eyes from 30 patients, 15 patients per group, in the study group (12 women and 3 men) with a mean age of 48.87 years (22-69) and in the control group (10 women and 5 men) with a mean age of 25 years (20-35). The results obtained for the control group were an average TBUT of 7.43 seconds, meniscus height of 0.56 mm, Schirmer I test 25.86 seconds and OSDI score 23.15. In the study group we found a TBUT of 1.16 seconds, tear meniscus height of 0.22 mm, Schirmer I test 5.09 and OSDI score 59.4. There was not a statistically significant difference in OSDI score results in both groups of patients according to the severity of OSDI score and the tear function test

Conclusions: In patients with severe dry eye we did not found a direct relationship in Schirmer I test results and TBUT according to the severity reported by the OSDI questionnaire

Keywords: 486 cornea: tears/tear film/dry eye • 432 autoimmune disease