Tear protein analyses in 30 patients before and after penetrating keratoplasty

The precise study of tears can afford good help in the preoperative and postoperative management of keratoplasties. Such studies may be performed with a laser nephelometer, a very comfortable and practical equipment for quantitative protein analysis, which enables one to analyze tears much more precisely than the break-up time and the Schirmer tests. Raised albumin and IgG values were demonstrated, indicating increased permeability of the blood-tear barrier, in the group with postoperatively reduced visual acuity, and lower values in the group with unchanged or increased visual acuity. Unfortunately, no statistically significant exclusive common laboratory findings for clinical signs of slight or severe rejection were found.