Infrared thermography of the tear film in dry eye.
Infrared ocular thermograms were recorded for a group of 36 dry eye patients and for 27 age- and sex-matched controls. Mean ocular surface temperature was greater in the dry eye group (32.38 +/- 0.69 degrees C) compared with the control group (31.94 +/- 0.54 degrees C; p < 0.01). In addition, there was a greater variation of temperatures across the ocular surface in the dry eye group, illustrated by the difference in temperature between the limbus and the centre of the cornea (0.64 +/- 0.20 degrees C in dry eye patients compared with 0.41 +/- 0.20 degrees C in the control group; p < 0.001). This parameter was also shown to be greater in dry eye patients who displayed either a fast tear break-up time or a poor Schirmer's test result. Infrared thermography is a non-invasive and objective technique that may prove a useful research tool for study of the tear film, its deficiencies and its various treatment modalities.
Department of Optometry and Vision Sciences, University of Manchester Institute of Science and Technology, UK.
P B
PB
Morgan
A B
AB
Tullo
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N
Efron
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D003315:Cornea / Q000503:physiopathology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D016850:Limbus Corneae / Q000503:physiopathology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D013666:Tears / Q000502:physiology*; D013817:Thermography; D014985:Xerophthalmia / Q000503:physiopathology*