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New measuring device more sensitive than standard dry eye tests
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A device that detects and grades ocular tissue dryness may be more useful in detecting dry eye than Schirmer’s test or tear film breakup time, according to investigators.
Yogesh Gupta and colleagues at Aligarh Muslim University in India created the device with the aim of detecting dry eye at an early stage. The xerosis meter is an electronic device that can detect and grade tissue dryness.
The device is based on the principle that the electrical conductivity of any tissue is directly proportional to its wetness. The sensitivity of the meter was compared with Schirmer’s test and tear film breakup time. The meter readings in healthy eyes and in dry eyes were compared; the sensitivity of the xerosis meter was much higher (86.11%) than either the Schirmer’s test (80.55%) or tear film break-up test (66.66%), according to the investigators.
Their study is published in the January issue of Graefe’s Archive for Clinical and Experimental Ophthalmology.