Tear evaporation rates in Sjögren syndrome and non-Sjögren dry eye patients.
OBJECTIVE
To reinvestigate tear evaporation rates in Sjögren syndrome (SS) and non-Sjögren (non-SS) dry eye patients with a recently reported ventilated chamber evaporimeter system.


METHODS
Prospective case-control study.


METHODS
A ventilated chamber evaporimeter system was used to measure tear evaporation rates. A DR-1 camera (Kowa, Nagoya, Japan) was used for tear lipid layer interference image acquisition. The Yokoi severity grading system was used for DR-1 image evaluation. Twenty-four aqueous tear deficiency (ATD) eyes of 21 consecutive patients with SS were studied (SS ATD group). Twenty-one ATD eyes of 12 non-SS patients (non-SS ATD group) were examined as control subjects.


RESULTS
Tear evaporation rates of the SS ATD group (5.9 +/- 3.5 [10(-7) g/cm(2) per second]) were significantly higher than those of the non-SS ATD group (2.9 +/- 1.8 [10(-7) g/cm(2) per second]; P = .0009). The severity grading of DR-1 tear interference images of the SS ATD group was significantly higher (P = .03), along with significantly worse meibomian gland expressibility and vital staining scores, compared with those of the non-SS ATD group.


CONCLUSIONS
Tear evaporation rates were higher in eyes of the SS ATD group compared with the non-SS ATD group. Tear evaporation assessed in conjunction with tear lipid layer findings and meibomian gland expressibility provides an increased understanding in the differential diagnosis of dry eye states.
Goto
Eiki
E
Department of Ophthalmology, School of Dental Medicine, Tsurumi University, Yokohama, Japan.
Matsumoto
Yukihiro
Y
Kamoi
Mizuka
M
Endo
Koji
K
Ishida
Reiko
R
Dogru
Murat
M
Kaido
Minako
M
Kojima
Takashi
T
Tsubota
Kazuo
K
D016022:Case-Control Studies; D015352:Dry Eye Syndromes / Q000378:metabolism; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007368:Interferometry; D050356:Lipid Metabolism; D008297:Male; D008537:Meibomian Glands / Q000378:metabolism; D008875:Middle Aged; D010781:Photography; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012859:Sjogren's Syndrome / Q000378:metabolism*; D013666:Tears / Q000378:metabolism*