Evaporative Dry Eye Clinical Vignette
What clinical signs can a physician look for when screening patients as likely sufferers of Evaporate Dry Eye? Many of the most common and visible markers for “dry eye” will not be present. As the following real-life example shows, careful observation and thorough examination can reveal the presence of key indicating factors.
A 47-year-old female presents for a refractive surgery consultation. During the visit, she reports that her eyes feel dry. More specifically, her eyes burn and her ability to wear contact lenses has been reduced to only a few hours per day.
Upon clinical examination, there is no obvious ocular surface or eyelid inflammation. The only positive dry eye sign is a reduced tear break-up time of 6 seconds in each eye. Although the eyelids appear quiet and there are no signs of obvious meibomian gland inflammation, gentle digital lid expression reveals that material can only be expressed from one or two meibomian glands along the lower eyelid of each eye.
This is a typical example of the challenge facing the physician, a problem which the TearScience Lipiflow Thermal Pulsation System addresses.