Tear IgE detected by a new method: Stallerdiag-IgE

A new method for the tear IgE measurement Stallerdiag-IgE is presented. For this assay, the tears are collected on a strip of filter paper introduced into the conjunctival cul-de-sac. Then the IgE are measured by a simple enzymo-immunological assay. Tear IgE were determined in a normal population and in three groups of patients with keratoconjunctivitis. In the normal population, the tear IgE level is 0.37±0.66 kIU/1. The IgE level observed in the patients with vernal keratoconjunctivitis (19.6±21.5 kIU/1) or chronic allergic keratoconjunctivitis (11.1±16.2 kIU/1) is significantly different (p<0.0005) from the IgE level measured in the patients suffering from non-allergic keratoconjunctivitis (3.4±10.4 kIU/1). By comparison with a non-allergic group, the sensitivity is 80%, the specificity is 89% giving an overall efficiency of 83%.