Keratography not a reliable option for Dry Eye Assessment, Study finds

Non-invasive keratograph break-up time (NIKBUT), tear meniscus height (TMH), and bulbar redness (BR) were marginally associated with clinical equivalents in the Dry Eye Assessment and Management research. There was no correlation between any of the measures and the OSDI score. Objective keratography is not yet capable of independently diagnosing dry eye disease (DED), and no clinical or non-invasive test consistently separates meibomian gland dysfunction from Sjögren syndrome. This study was conducted by Sutphin, John E and his team, the findings were published online in the Journal of Cornea and External disease on 22nd July, 2021.

This study was aimed to compare objective, non-invasive tear function evaluations utilizing the OCULUS Keratography with the comparable clinical measures [tear break-up time (TBUT), Schirmer test, and bulbar erythema] in patients with moderate-to-severe dry eye illness.

The study comprised 288 participants (576 eyes) from the Dry Eye Assessment and Management (DREAM) trial of omega-3 fatty acid supplementation for DED. Standardized techniques were used to assess participants. Associations between Keratography assessments NIKBUT, TMH, and (BR) and clinical examination (TBUT, Schirmer test, and bulbar erythema) and between these test results and Ocular Surface Disease Index (OSDI) scores were summarized using Spearman correlation coefficients (rs); 95 percent confidence intervals were calculated.