This article is more than 5 years old. Information may no longer be current.
New test detects allergen-specific IgE in tear fluid
Click Here to Manage Email Alerts
A new rapid test successfully detected immunoglobulin E specific for cedar pollen, cat dander and household dust in the tear fluid of patients with allergic conjunctivitis, a study found.
The prospective, nonrandomized, cross-sectional study included 64 patients with allergic conjunctivitis and 44 healthy controls. Tear fluid samples from each patient were used on the Immfast Check J1 cassette, and the strips were examined after 20 minutes using Scion Image software.
Immfast Check J1 yielded positive results for the three IgEs in 63 (98.4%) allergy patients and one (2.3%) control subject (P < .00001).
“Immfast Check J1 is a rapid, sterile, and noninvasive method for confirmation of allergic conjunctivitis,” the study authors said..
The study was limited in that only patients with moderate to severe allergic conjunctivitis were tested; sensitivity findings for patients with mild allergic conjunctivitis could not be ascertained.