Non-Invasive Tear Stability Analysis System (TSAS) for Dry Eye Patients

Abstract

Abstract: : Purpose: To evaluate the TSAS (Tear Stability Analysis System), which can take 10 continuous topographic images in 10 seconds for dry eye patients. Methods: We developed TSAS , which can take 10 continuous corneal topographies in 10 seconds.TSAS was conducted for 25 eyes of 16 healthy volunteers as controls (Group 1) and 32 eyes with 16 dry eye patients (Group 2). Before and after the insertion of punctual plugs, TSAS was conducted in 14 eyes of patients of Group 2. Topographic indices of SRI and SAI were analyzed, and continuous topographic data was decomposed using Fourier analysis into spherical power, regular astigmatism, and asymmetric and higher order irregular astigmatism. Results: SRI, SAI in Group 2 were significantly greater than group 1 at all time from 0 to 10 sec. (all p values<0.05, paired t test) Manifest refraction was not significant different between Group 1 and 2. But asymmetric and higher order irregular astigmatism calculated by Fourier analysis in Group 2 were significant greater than group 1 during 0 to 10 sec. (all p values<0.05, paired t test) After the punctual plug insertion, there was no significant difference, however some patients showed prominent improvement of these values. Conclusions: TSAS is useful way to evaluate the tear stability of dry eye patients objectively and non-invasively. In dry eye patients, tear layer is easy to break and functional optical quality is lower than normal eye.

Keywords: cornea: tears/tear film/dry eye • topography