Dry Eye Testing

What We Use:
ANTARES CORNEAL TOPOGRAPHER

The Antares instrument is a fully featured multi-functional corneal topographer. Antares has dedicated software designed to help in the detection and analysis of Dry Eye. The topography function provides information about the curvature, elevation and refractive power of the cornea. It also provides many parameters to aid in the diagnosis and monitoring of the corneal surface.

Advanced Tear-film Analysis
One common cause of dry eye symptoms is that the film of tears over the eye can break down or evaporate more quickly than it should, causing dry spots of unprotected cornea, conjunctiva, & other structures. This advanced tear-film analysis is an expedient, clinical way to evaluate the severity of dry eye & help determine if treatment is working for you by measuring how long the tear-film on the eye stays unbroken. The photo to the right shows an example of the test results with a color-coded map of the tear film on the eye.

Meibographer
A meibographer uses infrared light to better highlight the meibomian glands within the eyelid. These glands secrete the lipid portion of the natural tear film that protects the eye and dysfunctions with these glands can cause dry eye. These glands can atrophy with age but can also be damaged by overuse of contact lenses. This scan allows the doctor to diagnose issues and monitor the progress of treatment.

Fluorescein Imaging
Dry eye syndrome can have negative effects on the outer surface of the eye. In this test, an orange dye called fluorescein is placed with a dropper onto the ocular surface & fluorescein uptake is measured & graded under cobalt blue light. This helps the doctor to detect if any ocular surface changes associated with insufficient tear film & excess dryness has occurred by helping visualize devitalized cells & tissues.

Dry Eye Report
Based on the patient-reported Ocular Surface Disease Index questionnaire (OSDI) and several other tests including the TBUT, this comprehensive report can tell the doctor what level of dry eye is present. This allows her to more accurately treat the condition and monitor treatment progress. The image to the right shows an example of the final report with green, orange, and red to show levels from normal to severe on each test result.