title: Correlation of tear osmolarity and dry eye symptoms in convention attendees.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To assess the correlation between tear osmolarity readings and symptoms of dry eye in a nonclinical convenience sample and to determine how well symptoms and osmolarity correlate with the self-assessment of dry eye.
  
  
  METHODS
  Two hundred forty-nine attendees in the exhibit hall at an optometric educational meeting agreed to participate in a dry eye study. Contact lens wearers were excluded. Volunteers supplied demographic information and completed a 5-item Dry Eye Questionnaire (DEQ-5) and answered the question "Do you think you have dry eye" with a yes or no response. Osmolarity testing was done using the TearLab instrument on the right eye, then on the left eye. Pearson correlation analyses were performed to determine the relationship between variables.
  
  
  RESULTS
  There was no correlation between DEQ-5 scores and average tear osmolarity (correlation coefficient, 0.02) and highest osmolarity (correlation coefficient, 0.03). The mean DEQ-5 score was significantly higher among subjects who self-reported dry eye (mean, 11.3; p < 0.0001) compared with those who did not (mean, 5.4; p < 0.0001). No differences were observed between the yes and no self-reported dry eye groups and average osmolarity (p = 0.23) and highest osmolarity (p = 0.14).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  In this nonclinical population, there was no significant correlation between tear osmolarity and ocular symptoms as reported or between tear osmolarity and the self-assessment of dry eye.
authors: *OD, PhD, FAAO †OD, FAAO ‡OD, MS, FAAO §MAS Toronto Eye Care, Toronto, Ontario, Canada (BC); Atlanta, Georgia (RLC); Southern College of Optometry, Marshall B. Ketchum University, Fullerton, California (HM); The Ohio State University, School of Optometry, Columbus, Ohio (GN, GLM); The New England College of Optometry, Boston, Massachusetts (RW); Midwestern University, Arizona College of Optometry, Glendale, Arizona (WH).
authors: Barbara
authors: B
authors: Caffery
authors: Robin L
authors: RL
authors: Chalmers
authors: Harue
authors: H
authors: Marsden
authors: Greg
authors: G
authors: Nixon
authors: Ron
authors: R
authors: Watanabe
authors: Wendy
authors: W
authors: Harrison
authors: G Lynn
authors: GL
authors: Mitchell
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D003226:Congresses as Topic; D003261:Contact Lenses; D015352:Dry Eye Syndromes / Q000175:diagnosis*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009907:Optometry / Q000458:organization & administration*; D009994:Osmolar Concentration; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D013666:Tears / Q000737:chemistry*; D055815:Young Adult