Abstract
Purpose: :
The estimation of tear meniscus volume is an important, but often overlooked aspect of the dry eye (DE) examination. We performed a prospective controlled study to evaluate the effectiveness of the new strip meniscometry (SM), which has been modified to be more pliable and to induce less reflex tearing.
Methods: :
SM was applied on 130 eyes of sixty-five patients (16 males, 49 females; mean age, 42 ± 7.2 years) with definite dry eye according to the Japanese dry eye diagnostic criteria and on 43 control subjects (24 males, 19 females; mean age, 40 ± 8.5 years). Tear meniscus volume was quantified using SM of the central lower lid tear meniscus for 5 seconds. Tear function tests including tear break up time (BUT), fluorescein (F), Rose Bengal (RB) staining and Schirmer test (ST) were also performed. The correlation between SM and Schirmer test was investigated.
Results: :
The SM scores were significantly lower in the dry eye patients compared to the controls, 3.19 ± 2.12 mm and 5.6 ± 1.7 mm, respectively (p< 0.001). The mean BUT values were 4.14 ± 1.65 and 9.14±2.46 sec in dry eye patients and controls respectively. Both the RB and F scores were 0 in the control group, and were 2.16 ± 2.15 and 2.42 ± 2.34points, respectively, in the dry eye group. These differences were statistically significant (p < 0.001). The mean ST value in the DE patients was 5.28 ± 2.43mm compared to 14.11 ± 9.46 in the controls. A significant correlation between the SM and Schirmer test was found (r: 0.5292, p < 0.001).
Conclusions: :
Strip meniscometry is a swift, noninvasive and promising method for assessing the tear meniscus volume, which has potential applications for the diagnosis, evaluation and treatment of dry eye syndromes.
Clinical Trial: :
Tokyo,MH, H17-CT-025
Keywords: cornea: clinical science • cornea: tears/tear film/dry eye • clinical research methodology