Daytime Variations of Tear Osmolarity Measurement in Dry Eye Patients

Purpose: We have targeted primarily to show the variations of tear osmolarity during the daytime period in subjects with dry eyes and non-dry eyes and, secondarily, to evaluate the relationship of these variations with Schirmer’s test and break-up time (BUT). Material and Method: Twenty newly diagnosed dry eye patients and 20 healthy voluntary subjects with similar age and gender were included in this prospective study. In addition to the full ophthalmic examination, Schirmer’s test and BUT test were applied to all participants. Tear osmolarity measurements were done after pre-examination but in different day. The measurements were registered with TearLab Osmolarity System (TearLab Corporation, San Diego, CA, USA) every 3 hours within 8:00 AM and 5:00 PM. The results were evaluated statistically. Results: No statistically significant difference was found between the mean age and gender of dry eye syndrome (DES) and control groups (p>0.05). The mean measurements of Schirmer’s test and BUT in the DES group were statistically significantly lower than those in the control group (p=0.0001). The mean measurements of tear osmolarity at 8:00 AM, 11:00 AM, 2:00 PM, and 5:00 PM in the DES group were statistically significantly higher than those in the control group (p=0.001, p=0.0001). No statistically significant difference in tear osmolarity at 8:00 AM, 11: 00 AM, 2:00 PM, and 5:00 PM was found between the groups, and within DES and control groups (p>0.05). Discussion: We did not determine significant change in daytime variations of the tear osmolarity in dry eye patients and healthy subjects. As a secondary result, we can conclude that there is no difference among tear osmolarity, Shirmer’s and BUT tests in the diagnosis of DES. (Turk J Ophthalmol 2013; 43: 437-41)