Dr.Pankaj Choudhary
AIM: To evaluate the role of tear ferning test in ocular surface changes of thyroid eye disease (TED).
METHODS: Symptoms alone cannot diagnose dry eye because some of these symptoms may be caused by other conditions in TED. 178 eyes of 89 patients of TED of age30 -55 years were included in this prospective study of one year duration. Unstimulated tears were collected from the subject’s eye using a capillary tube and dropped onto a slide and observed using a light microscope 40x magnification. Samples were categorized according to Rolando’s tear ferning classification.
RESULTS: Abnormal fern pattern (type III and IV) was observed in 33(18.53%) eyes with TED.
CONCLUSIONS: No single test of tear function in the clinic that can give a definitive diagnosis of dry eye. Ferning test examine tear stability without involving any foreign substance in eye which overcome the limitations of other tests and helps in quality analysis of tear film at a gross biochemical level in TED.
Leave a Comment