Newer methods of diagnosing dry eye are less invasive

Diagnostic techniques developed to assess the tear film and diagnose dry eye can be invasive and may modify the parameter that is being tested; non-invasive or minimally invasive tests may overcome this problem, assert two Japanese researchers.

Norihiko Yokoi, MD, and Aoi Komuro analyzed the techniques used to detect dry eye. Meniscometry is “particularly useful” in assessing tear volume indirectly. A video-meniscomter enables calculation of the meniscus radius digitally and may be useful in diagnosing tear-deficient dry eye.

Interferometry of the tear film lipid layer “is useful in screening and evaluating dry eye severity and in selecting dry eye candidates for punctal occlusion,” the authors wrote in the March issue of Experimental Eye Research.

Meibometry is another minimally invasive technique used to quantify the amount of meibomian lipid on the lid margin. Laser meibometry has increased the scope of the technique even further, the authors note.