["Dry eye" and artificial tear solutions (author's transl)]

Area of Science:

• Ophthalmology
• Corneal Science
• Ocular Surface Disease

Background:

• Dry eye disease is a prevalent condition affecting the ocular surface.
• Accurate patient classification is crucial for effective artificial tear therapy.
• Existing diagnostic tests for dry eye may lack sufficient discriminatory power.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the efficacy of standard function tests in classifying dry eye patients.
• To determine if patient preferences for artificial tear solutions can be predicted.
• To assess the correlation between objective tests and subjective patient experience.

Main Methods:

• Seventeen patients diagnosed with dry eye were enrolled.
• Each patient used four coded artificial tear solutions for one week in a randomized sequence.
• Ocular surface function was assessed using the Schirmer test, tear break-up time, and conjunctival goblet cell count.

Main Results:

• The function tests (Schirmer, break-up time, goblet cell count) did not allow for distinct patient grouping.
• A potential correlation was observed between tear break-up time and goblet cell count.
• No significant patient preference for specific artificial tear products was identified.

Conclusions:

• Current diagnostic function tests are insufficient for precise therapeutic classification of dry eye patients.
• Further research is needed to develop more accurate methods for categorizing dry eye.
• Individualized treatment strategies for dry eye may require novel assessment tools.