Thursday, June 5, 2008

Abstract: Do your eyes dry out between blinks?

To be honest I'm slightly puzzled as to why we need an "Index" to define this particular baby.

Seems like a sub 1.0 result is the equivalent of a cardiologist saying "Yes, indeed you have heart trouble" which, considering you went to his office complaining of chest pains, you probably already knew.

But hey, if having another number on the chart is helping in some way, fine.

The Ocular Protection Index.
Ousler GW 3rd, Hagberg KW, Schindelar M, Welch D, Abelson MB
Cornea. 2008 Jun;27(5):509-13

The interaction of the time between blinks, or the interblink interval (IBI), and tear film breakup time (TFBUT) helps to regulate the integrity of the ocular surface. A protected surface exists when the TFBUT matches or exceeds the IBI. In contrast, an unprotected surface exists when TFBUT is less than the IBI. This is clinically relevant because repeated intermittent exposure of a tear film-deficient cornea can lead to ocular discomfort and the development of clinical signs, such as keratitis and redness. The relationship between TFBUT and IBI has been quantified by the Ocular Protection Index (OPI), which is calculated by dividing TFBUT by IBI. If the OPI is <1.0, the patient has an exposed ocular surface, putting them at risk for the development of the signs and symptoms of dry eye, whereas if the OPI is >or=1.0, the patient's ocular surface is tear film protected. The OPI has proven to be useful in assessing the factors that may cause or exacerbate dry eye. This review discusses the development and use of the OPI model, its relationship to dry eye, and factors that are known to alter blink rate and tear film integrity.

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