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Osmolarity has low variability in signs of dry eye disease
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Compared with other biomarkers for dry eye disease, tear film osmolarity has the lowest variability, according to a study.
The prospective observational study examined 52 patients with dry eye disease. Patients were examined approximately once a month for 3 months during an observational period with no changes in medication.
After this period, 16 patients were classified into a mild/moderate dry eye group, and 36 patients were classified into a severe dry eye group. Ten patients with severe dry eye were prescribed Restasis (cyclosporine ophthalmic emulsion 0.05%, Allergan) twice a day and followed for 3 more months.
In all subjects, osmolarity had the lowest variability among commonly used biomarkers of dry eye disease. Patients with mild dry eye had less variation in osmolarity than patients with severe dry eye, and in the 10 patients who were treated with cyclosporine, average osmolarity and variability decreased.
Osmolarity was also the only variable sensitive enough to reveal changes in tear physiology.
“Although the present study demonstrated that all objective tests show some degree of variability in repeated measurements, tear osmolarity demonstrated the lowest variability over time,” the study authors said. “Furthermore, osmolarity was the only objective test sensitive enough to detect a response to cyclosporine over a 3-month period. Concurrently, changes in osmolarity preceded the improvement in reported symptoms.”
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