Tear film status in pinguecula
Mohammadreza Asadollahi1 *, Saber Sahihnasab1 , Amir Asharlous1 , Mehdi Khabazkhoob 2
- Noor Research Center for Ophthalmic Epidemiology, Noor Eye Hospital, Tehran, Iran
- Department of Medical Surgical Nursing, School of Nursing and Midwifery, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
Abstract: The objective of this study was to assess the tear film status in pinguecula
Methods: This cross-section al study was conducted in 850 students (male students=407) with a mean age of 22.06±4 years. First, each participant completed the Ocular Surface Disease Index (OSDI) and then underwent slit-lamp biomicroscopy to determine the presence of pinguecula, Schirmer’s test (without anesthesia), tear meniscus height (TMH), and tear break-up time (TBUT).
Results: Of 850 students of the School of Rehabilitation Sciences of Iran University of Medical Sciences, 648 (female students=241) with a mean age of 22.06±3.96 years were examined. The rest of the students either withdrew from the study voluntarily or were excluded based on the exclusion criteria. The results showed no significant correlation between the presence of pinguecula and abnormal results of the Schirmer’s test, OSDI, and fluorescein corneal staining. However, a significant correlation was found between the presence of pinguecula and abnormal TMH (p=0.012) and abnormal TBUT results (p=0.021). Moreover, the prevalence of dry eye was significantly higher in patients with pinguecula compared to those without it (21.89% versus 11.40%, p=0.022). The prevalence of pinguecula was significantly higher in men versus women (p=0.000).
Conclusion: The results of this study showed that dry eye was more common in participants with pinguecula compared to subjects without it. Among different findings, tear film and the presence of pinguecula had a direct relationship with tear film stability and decreased tear secretion. Further research is required to investigate the causal relationship between dry eye and pinguecula.
