Difference in tear meniscus between conjunctivochalasis eyes and normal eyes using anterior segment optical coherence tomography.

Abstract

Purpose : To quantify the difference in the tear meniscus between conjunctivochalasis eyes and normal eyes using anterior segment optical coherence tomography (AS-OCT).

Methods : Twenty-two conjunctivochalasis subjects (conjunctivochalasis group) and 22 normal subjects (control group) were enrolled at the University of Fukui Hospital, Japan. The tear meniscus area (TMA) and the tear meniscus height (TMH) as measured using AS-OCT were compared between the two groups. Among the conjunctivochalasis group, potential relationships between TMA or TMH and fluorescein film tear breakup time, fluorescein staining score, and the extent of conjunctivochalasis was also evaluated.

Results : The conjunctivochalasis group had a significantly reduced TMA (P = 0.01) and larger TMH (P < 0.0001) than the control group. Although the control group exhibited a significantly positive correlation between TMA and TMH (r = 0.668, P = 0.001), the conjunctivochalasis group showed no significant correlation between TMA and TMH (r = 0.330, P = 0.133). In the conjunctivochalasis group, there was a positive correlation between TMA and fluorescein film tear breakup time (r = 0.529, P = 0.011), a negative correlation between TMA and fluorescein staining score (r = −0.587, P = 0.004), and a positive correlation between TMH and the extent of conjunctivochalasis (r = 0.448, P = 0.021).

Conclusions : Conjunctivochalasis eyes exhibit a reduced TMA and increased TMH compared to normal eyes. A more severe dry eye condition in conjunctivochalasis is associated with a reduced TMA despite having a high TMH due to the conjunctival fold.

This is an abstract that was submitted for the 2016 ARVO Annual Meeting, held in Seattle, Wash., May 1-5, 2016.