Journal
BRITISH JOURNAL OF OPHTHALMOLOGY
Volume 104, Issue 1, Pages 136-141Publisher
BMJ PUBLISHING GROUP
DOI: 10.1136/bjophthalmol-2018-313379
Keywords
dry eye; tear film; imaging; tear breakup; technology
Categories
Funding
- Meir Medical Center
- Israeli Innovation Authority
- Department of Veterans Affairs, Veterans Health Administration, Office of Research and Development, Clinical Sciences Research [EPID-006-15S]
- NIH Center Core Grant [P30EY014801]
- Research to Prevent Blindness
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Purpose The objective of the study was to assess a new technology, the tear film imager (TFI), which can dynamically image the muco-aqueous and lipid layers. Methods Prospective pilot case series of individuals with and without dry eye (DE). Two sequential images were obtained with the TFI. Measurements were assessed for reproducibility and compared with clinically derived DE metrics. Individuals were grouped into DE categories based on signs of DE. Results 49 patients participated in the study with a mean age of 58.8 years (SD 15.9) and a female majority (69%). Reproducibility of the muco-aqueous layer thickness (MALT) was excellent (r=0.88). MALT measurements significantly correlated with the Schirmer score (r=0.31). Lipid break up time (LBUT) as measured by the TFI significantly correlated with the clinical measure of tear break up time (TBUT) (r=0.73). MALT and LBUT were significantly thinner and shorter, respectively, in the DE groups (mild-moderate and severe) compared with the control group. When comparing TFI parameters to clinically assessed signs, sensitivity of the device was 87% and specificity was 88%. Conclusion The TFI is the first machine capable of reproducibly measuring muco-aqueous thickness in human subjects which correlates with Schirmer score. In parallel, it assesses other important aspects of tear film function which correlate with clinician assessed DE metrics.
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