Monday, February 14, 2011

Abstract: Tear osmolarity

This is the largest study of its kind by far that I recall seeing and involved many internationally known ocular surface disease figures. Very compelling argument for the use of tear osmolarity testing in diagnosing dry eye.

Tear Osmolarity in the Diagnosis and Management of Dry Eye Disease.

PURPOSE: To evaluate the use of tear osmolarity in the diagnosis of dry eye disease.

DESIGN: A prospective, observational case series to determine the clinical usefulness of tear osmolarity and commonly used objective tests to diagnose dry eye disease.

METHODS: A multicenter, 10-site study consisting of 314 consecutive subjects between 18 and 82 years of age. Bilateral tear osmolarity, tear film break-up time (TBUT), corneal staining, conjunctival staining, Schirmer test, and meibomian gland grading were performed. Diagnostic performance was measured against a composite index of objective measurements that classified subjects as having normal, mild or moderate, or severe dry eye. The main outcome measures were sensitivity, specificity, area under the receiver operating characteristic curve, and intereye variability.

RESULTS: Of the 6 tests, tear osmolarity was found to have superior diagnostic performance. The most sensitive threshold between normal and mild or moderate subjects was found to be 308 mOsms/L, whereas the most specific was found at 315 mOsms/L. At a cutoff of 312 mOsms/L, tear hyperosmolarity exhibited 73% sensitivity and 92% specificity. By contrast, the other common tests exhibited either poor sensitivity (corneal staining, 54%; conjunctival staining, 60%; meibomian gland grading, 61%) or poor specificity (tear film break-up time, 45%; Schirmer test, 51%). Tear osmolarity also had the highest area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (0.89). Intereye differences in osmolarity were found to correlate with increasing disease severity (r(2) = 0.32).

CONCLUSIONS: Tear osmolarity is the best single metric both to diagnose and classify dry eye disease. Intereye variability is a characteristic of dry eye not seen in normal subjects.


Am J Ophthalmol. 2011 Feb 8. [Epub ahead of print]
Lemp MA, Bron AJ, Baudouin C, Del Castillo JM, Geffen D, Tauber J, Foulks GN, Pepose JS, Sullivan BD.
Department of Ophthalmology, Georgetown University, Washington, DC.

Abstract: Demodex in pediatric bleph

Ocular demodicosis as a potential cause of pediatric blepharoconjunctivitis.

PURPOSE: To report Demodex infestation in pediatric blepharoconjunctivitis.

METHODS: A retrospective review of 12 patients, with ages from 2.5-11 years, with chronic blepharoconjunctivitis who failed to respond to conventional treatments. Demodex was detected by lash sampling and microscopic examination. Patients were treated with 50% tea tree oil (TTO) eyelid scrubs or 5% TTO ointment eyelid massages for 4-6 weeks.

RESULTS: Demodex mites were found in all, but 1 case had cylindrical dandruff in the lashes. After 1 week of TTO treatment, all patients showed dramatic resolution of ocular irritation and inflammation while Demodex counts dropped. All corneal signs resolved within 2 weeks except for a residual anterior stromal scar in 1 eye. During a follow-up period of 8.3 ± 4.6 months, 1 patient showed recurrent inflammation, which was successfully managed by a second round of TTO treatment.

CONCLUSIONS: Demodicosis should be considered as a potential cause of pediatric refractory blepharoconjunctivitis. Eyelid scrubs or massage with TTO could be an effective treatment regimen in these cases.


Cornea. 2010 Dec;29(12):1386-91.
Liang L, Safran S, Gao Y, Sheha H, Raju VK, Tseng SC.
Ocular Surface Center, Miami, FL 33173, USA.

Abstract: Intracanalicular plug complications

Hm, so the first two plugs get mentioned by name but it's not apparent here what kind of plug the third patient had.

Complications of intracanalicular plugs: a case series.

PURPOSE: Intracanalicular plugs are commonly used in the management of dry eyes. The authors report 3 cases of complications associated with intracanalicular plugs.

METHODS: Clinical findings and the management of these patients are presented.

RESULTS: The first patient (case 1) is a 47-year-old female with severe dry eyes. Six months after insertion of intracanalicular Form fit hydrogel plugs (OASIS Medical) she developed canaliculitis with Klebsiella oxytoca. The second patient (case 2), a 33-year-old female, who developed left canalicular abscess 5 months following the insertion of bilateral, intracanalicular Form fit hydrogel plugs (OASIS Medical). The third patient (case 3) a 33-year-old female had granulation tissue formation within the left lower canaliculus, 5 years after insertion of intracanalicular plug. The symptoms in the three patients resolved after they underwent canaliculotomy with removal of the plugs.

CONCLUSION: Complications of intracanalicular plugs can sometimes outweigh their benefits. These plugs can lodge in the lacrimal outflow system and cause pyogenic granuloma formation and canaliculitis. To our knowledge, until now there have been no reports of complications associated with Form Fit hydrogel plugs (OASIS Medical) and its infective complication with Klebsiella oxytoca.


Orbit. 2010 Oct;29(5):271-3. Epub 2010 Sep 2.
Joganathan V, Mehta P, Murray A, Durrani OM.
Department of Ophthalmology, James Paget University Hospital, Norfolk NR31 6LA, USA.