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Updated: Sep 18, 2025
In Vivo, Percutaneous, Needle Based, Optical Coherence Tomography of Renal Masses
Published on: March 30, 2015
Assessment of tear meniscus parameters in patients with end-stage renal disease undergoing haemodialysis using
Levent Dogan1, Gurcan Dogukan Arslan1, Ozgur Can2
1Department of Ophthalmology, Tatvan State Hospital, Bitlis, Turkey.
Clinical Relevance:
Tear meniscus turbidity and percentage area occupied by particles (PAOP), which are non-invasively measured tear meniscus parameters, may serve as new indicators of dry eye in haemodialysis patients.
Background:
The aim of this study was to evaluate tear meniscus parameters in patients with end-stage renal disease undergoing haemodialysis.
Method:
This prospective and case-control study included 28 end-stage renal disease patients with self-reported dry eye symptoms (group 1), 31 end-stage renal disease patients who did not have any dry eye symptoms (group 2), and a control group composed of 30 healthy age- and sex-matched participants. Thirty minutes before and after haemodialysis, tear meniscuses were evaluated using Spectral Domain Optical Coherence Tomography. Tear meniscus parameters, including tear meniscus height, depth, turbidity, and PAOP in the inferior tear meniscus, were measured using Optical Coherence Tomography and ImageJ software.
Results:
In pre- haemodialysis measurements, tear break-up time, Schirmer I, tear meniscus height, and depth values were significantly lower, and turbidity, PAOP, OSDI, serum osmolality, creatinine, and blood urea nitrogen values in group 1 were significantly higher than the values in other groups (p < 0.05). Turbidity and PAOP values were significantly higher, and the tear break-up time values were significantly lower in group 2 than those in group 3 at the pre-haemodialysis measurements (p < 0.05). Following haemodialysis, tear break-up time, Schirmer I, tear meniscus height, and depth decreased, while turbidity and PAOP increased significantly in end-stage renal disease patients (p < 0.05). In post-haemodialysis measurements, turbidity, PAOP, and tear break-up time measurements were not significantly different between groups 1 and 2 (p < 0.05).
Conclusion:
The patients with end-stage renal disease had higher turbidity, PAOP values, and lower tear meniscus height, depth, tear break-up time, and Schirmer I test values. Turbidity and PAOP may be used as diagnostic parameters for dry eye in haemodialysis patients.
