[The dry eye in kidney transplant patients]

Fifty-three patients with severe renal disease and/or kidney transplants underwent full ophthalmological examinations, including tear breakup time, Schirmer's test, and impression cytology of the conjunctivae. Although only some 50% of the patients complained of typical dry-eye symptoms, pathologic changes of the outer eye were found in almost 70%. Tear break-up times and Schirmer's test values were greatly reduced. Morphological changes of the conjunctiva were found in almost all the patients; in 50% of these cases the changes were moderate to severe.