Orange Country support group meeting - Nov. 9

The next Orange County support group meeting is Monday, November 9 from 12-2pm in Laguna Woods, CA.

LOCATION:
The Regency
24441 Calle Sonora
Laguna Woods, CA 92637
(949) 830-8057

Please RSVP
For meeting information and to RSVP: call Judi at 949-933-2417

This is a wonderful, well-run group which always has great content and many excellent guest speakers. If you're in the area I strongly encourage you to go.

New product: Glasses that remind you to blink

Spotted by an alert DryEyeTalk reader (thanks!):

New Japanese glasses bring tears to the eyes (Google, 10/27/2009)

TOKYO — The Japanese eyewear company behind Sarah Palin's designer glasses has come up with a high-tech solution for obsessive video-gamers and bookworms whose eyes dry out from lack of blinking.
Masunaga Optical Manufacturing Co. Ltd. said Tuesday its "Wink Glasses" -- retailing for 40,000 yen (430 dollars) -- were an answer to the ocular dehydration caused for instance by prolonged computer use.
When a sensor detects that the wearer has not blinked for more than five seconds, the glasses "fog up" by gradually making a liquid crystal display over one eye turn opaque.
A simple blink clears the lens again.
Masunaga, based in the central Japanese city of Fukui, has enjoyed a boost in sales since Palin burst to international prominence last year as the Republicans' vice presidential pick in the United States.

Abstract: Tear EGF levels and corneal subepithelial fibrosis

Corneal subepithelial fibrosis is associated with high tear epidermal growth factor levels in dry eye conditions.

Invest Ophthalmol Vis Sci. 2009 Oct 8. [Epub ahead of print]
Corneal subepithelial fibrosis is associated with high tear epidermal growth factor levels in dry eye conditions.
Rao K, Farley WJ, Pflugfelder SC.

Cullen Eye Institute, Ophthalmology - Ocular Surf Center, Baylor College of Medicine -, Houston, United States.

Purpose: To compare tear epidermal growth factor (EGF) concentration in dry eye (DE) conditions and determine correlations between EGF levels and severity of symptoms and ocular surface signs. Design: Prospective case control study.

Methods: Thirty five DE patients, including subgroups with meibomian gland disease (MGD), Sjögren's syndrome (SS) aqueous tear deficiency and neurotrophic keratopathy, and seventeen asymptomatic control subjects were evaluated. Symptoms, Schirmer test, fluorescein clearance test (FCT), EGF concentration, dye staining and presence of corneal subepithelial fibrosis and meibomian gland (MG) orifice metaplasia were recorded. Tear EGF and severity of irritation and ocular surface signs were correlated.

Results: Tear EGF was higher in MGD than control (p = 0.03) and was lower in SS than the control (p <0.0001), MGD (p <0.05) and NK (P < 0.01) groups. The DE subgroup with FCT > 3, Schirmer >/= 8 had higher EGF levels than the group with FCT > 3, Schirmer < 8 and both groups with good tear clearance (p <0.01). Tear EGF levels were inversely correlated with conjunctival (r= -0.49, p =0.0032) and corneal (r= -0.39, p = 0.022) dye staining and positively correlated with MG orifice metaplasia (r = 0.36, p=0.03) and corneal subepithelial fibrosis (r = 0.5, p =0.0006).

Conclusion: Tear EGF concentration was increased in eyes with MGD, corneal subepithelial fibrosis and MG orifice metaplasia. Elevated tear EGF may promote development of corneal subepithelial fibrosis and lid margin changes.