Posters

Tear osmolarity values in different populations with high prevalence of dry eye

Poster Details

First Author: P.Drake SPAIN

Co Author(s):    J. Paz Moreno-Arrones   D. Ferrari   M. Garcia-Gonzalez   M. Castejon   M. Teus        

Abstract Details

Purpose:

To evaluate the tear film osmolarity in different populations with high prevalence of dry-eye: after corneal refractive surgery, in unselected senile population and in glaucoma patients under treatment with topical hypotensive drops

Setting:

Novovision Madrid, Spain. Hospital Universitario “Principe de Asturias”, Alcalá de Henares, Madrid, Spain

Methods:

We performed a cross sectional study. Tear osmolarity was measured using the TearLab TM Osmolarity System in five different populations with a higher expected prevalence of symptomatic dry-eye disease: three months postop refractive surgery (laser in situ keratomileusis (LASIK), lasser-assited subepithelial keratectomy (LASEK) and Femtosecond laser-assisted sub-Bowman Keratomileusis (FSBK), an unselected elder population and glaucoma patients under treatment. The average osmolarity values were compared between groups, and compared with the published referent values of normal population. The cuttoff threshold for osmolarity was settled in 312 mOms/L

Results:

The mean age was: 30.6±7.7 years in the LASEK group (n=33), 34.3±8.7 in LASIK (n=34), 34.6±8.6 in FSBK (n=35), 67.3±11 in the glaucoma treated patients (n=18), 70.6±8 in the senile population (n=73), and 46,3±16,9 years in normals. We did not find statistically significant differences in the mean osmolarity values between groups (p=0.8) (LASEK=304.7±20.2 mOsm/L, LASIK=306.7±17.7 mOsm/L, FSBK=307.8±17.6 mOsm/L, Senile population=306.6±14.1 mOsm/L, glaucoma=310.1±11.7 mOsm/L, normal mean value=300.8±7.8 mOsm/L). No differences were found when comparing the percentage of hyperosmolar eyes (>312mOsm/L) between groups (p=0.3) (LASEK=30,3%, LASIK=44,1%, FSBK=37.1%, Senile=32.8%, glaucoma=55.5%).

Conclusions:

Although the populations of our study have a presumably higher prevalence of dry-eye disease than normals, our results revealed that the mean tear osmolarity is similar between groups and comparable to normal population values. The prevalence of hyperosmolar eyes is comparable in the groups of our study, and clearly higher than in the normal population. It is thus the prevalence of hyoperosmolar eyes using a predefined cut-off value and not the mean osmolarity what better identifies populations with high prevalence of dry eye.

Financial Disclosure:

NONE