A simple test for lacrimal gland function: a tear lactoferrin assay by radial immunodiffusion.

A radial immunodiffusion assay for tear lactoferrin is described. Tear samples, collected on filter paper discs, could be applied directly to immunodiffusion plates after blotting. In 58 tear samples from healthy subjects an average lactoferrin concentration of 1.42 g/l was found. A high degree of correlation was found between the lactoferrin radial immunodiffusion and the lysozyme agar diffusion assay in a heterogeneous group, ranging from healthy subjects to patients with severe keratoconjunctivitis sicca. A lower limit of normal (0.78 g/l) could be determined for the tear lactoferrin concentration. The assay does not require laboratory facilities and therefore is an easily accessible alternative for or an addition to lacrimal gland function tests currently used.