Tear Dynamics and Corneal Confocal Microscopy of Subjects with Mild Self-Reported Office Dry Eye

Purpose To investigate changes in tear dynamics and corneal microstructure in mild self-reported office dry eye. Design Prospective laboratory investigation. Participants Twenty healthy office workers, 20 office workers with mild self-reported dry eye, and 20 office workers with moderate to severe dry eye as determined by the Ocular Surface Disease Index (OSDI). Methods Real-time anterior segment optical coherence tomography was used to obtain upper (UTMV), lower (LTMV), tear meniscus volumes. The total tear meniscus volume (TTMV) was the sum of the UTMV and LTMV. This was followed by measurement of noninvasive tear breakup time (NITBUT), fluorescein tear breakup time (FTBUT), fluorescein staining, Schirmer I test, and in vivo confocal microscopy of cornea. Main Outcome Measures Upper tear meniscus volume, LTMV, TTMV, NITBUT, fluorescein tear FTBUT, fluorescein staining, Schirmer I test, and in vivo confocal microscopy of cornea. Results There were no significant differences in UTMV and LTMV between the control and mild self-reported dry eye groups ( P >0.05). These values in the moderate to severe dry eye group were significantly lower than those in the control and mild dry eye groups ( P P P P P Conclusions Although the quantity of tears in patients with mild self-reported office dry eye was not decreased, ocular surface damage was present. Financial Disclosure(s) The author(s) have no proprietary or commercial interest in any materials discussed in this article.