Alanazi Saud A, Aldawood Mohammed A, Badawood Yousef S, El-Hiti Gamal A, Masmali Ali M
Cornea Research Chair, Department of Optometry, College of Applied Medical Sciences, King Saud University, Riyadh 11433, Saudi Arabia.
Clin Optom (Auckl). 2019 Jul 3;11:65-71. doi: 10.2147/OPTO.S214597. eCollection 2019.
To evaluate and compare the tear ferning patterns of non-stimulated and stimulated tears in normal eye male subjects using the tear ferning test.
Thirty-five male subjects aged 20-38 years with normal eyes were enrolled in the study. Subjects with dry eye or with a risk factor for eye dryness (eg, recent ocular surgery, contact-lens wearers, smokers, anemic, diabetes, and thyroid gland problems) were excluded from the study. Dry eye subjects were excluded based on the ocular surface diseases index scores, non-invasive tear break-up time, and tear meniscus height measurements from the right and left eyes. A tear sample was collected from both eyes in each subject to perform the tear ferning test for non-stimulated tears. After 10 mins, the tears were stimulated using a Schirmer strip, a tear sample was collected from both eyes in each participant, the tear ferning test was performed, and the ferns were graded based on the five-point tear ferning grading scale.
The average tear ferning grade [median (interquartile range)] for non-stimulated tears from the right and left eyes was 0.60 (1.25) and 0.50 (1.31), respectively. For stimulated tears, the average tear ferning grade from the right and left eyes was 0.50 (1.05) and 0.75 (1.25), respectively. There was no significant difference in the tear ferning grades obtained from non-stimulated and stimulated tears (Wilcoxon test, >0.05).
This study found no significant difference in the tear ferning patterns obtained from non-stimulated and stimulated tears, or between the tear ferning patterns in the tears collected from the right and left eyes before and after stimulating tears. It seems that there were no changes in the chemical composition of tears before and after stimulation, possibly due to the steady concentration of electrolytes and lipids within the tear film for both non-stimulated and stimulated tears.
使用泪液蕨样变试验评估和比较正常男性受试者非刺激泪液和刺激泪液的泪液蕨样变模式。
35名年龄在20 - 38岁的正常眼男性受试者纳入本研究。患有干眼或有干眼危险因素(如近期眼部手术、隐形眼镜佩戴者、吸烟者、贫血、糖尿病和甲状腺问题)的受试者被排除在研究之外。根据眼表疾病指数评分、非侵入性泪膜破裂时间以及左右眼泪液弯月面高度测量结果排除干眼受试者。在每位受试者的双眼采集泪液样本,进行非刺激泪液的泪液蕨样变试验。10分钟后,使用Schirmer试纸刺激泪液,在每位参与者的双眼采集泪液样本,进行泪液蕨样变试验,并根据五点泪液蕨样变分级量表对蕨样变进行分级。
右眼和左眼非刺激泪液的平均泪液蕨样变分级[中位数(四分位间距)]分别为0.60(1.25)和0.50(1.31)。对于刺激泪液,右眼和左眼的平均泪液蕨样变分级分别为0.50(1.05)和0.75(1.25)。非刺激泪液和刺激泪液的泪液蕨样变分级无显著差异(Wilcoxon检验,>0.05)。
本研究发现,非刺激泪液和刺激泪液的泪液蕨样变模式之间,以及刺激泪液前后左右眼采集的泪液蕨样变模式之间均无显著差异。似乎刺激前后泪液的化学成分没有变化,这可能是由于非刺激泪液和刺激泪液的泪膜中电解质和脂质浓度稳定。