PURPOSE Mucins are polymers that may reduce drag and enhance tear outflow. Mucin expression and distribution in human efferent tear ducts were tested in the physiological state, and potential differences in the expression pattern were investigated in the presence of primary acquired dacryostenosis (PANDO). METHODS Expression of mucins in human lacrimal sac and nasolacrimal ducts was monitored...

We have previously shown that human tear fluid protects corneal epithelial cells against Pseudomonas aeruginosa in vitro and in vivo and that protection does not depend upon tear bacteriostatic activity. We sought to identify the responsible tear component(s). The hypothesis tested was that collectins (collagenous calcium-dependent lectins) were involved. Reflex tear fluid was collected from he...

concurrence of interstitial nephritis and uveitis named tubulointestitioal nephritis and uveitis syndrome (tinu) are unusual and uncommon presentations of interstitial nephritis. this syndrome is considered after ruling out other differential diagnoses. a-38-year old man presented with acute renal failure and uveitis. the histologic findings of renal biopsy showed acute tubulointestitioal nephr...

OBJECTIVES To evaluate tear levels of neuromediators in patients with dry eye disease and to identify statistical correlations with the clinical findings. METHODS Nineteen patients with dry eye disease (Sjögren syndrome, n = 5 patients; non-Sjögren syndrome, n = 10; and ocular cicatricial pemphigoid, n = 4) and 12 healthy volunteers were enrolled. The eyes of all participants were evaluated b...

PURPOSE To evaluate the use of tear osmolarity in the diagnosis of dry eye disease. DESIGN A prospective, observational case series to determine the clinical usefulness of tear osmolarity and commonly used objective tests to diagnose dry eye disease. METHODS A multicenter, 10-site study consisting of 314 consecutive subjects between 18 and 82 years of age. Bilateral tear osmolarity, tear fi...

PURPOSE To measure dynamic change characteristics of spatial and temporal variations in the post-blink tear film of normal eyes. METHODS A wavefront sensor was used to measure dynamic changes in wavefront aberrations, up to the seventh order, for 10 seconds in a group of 33 normal young adults. Tear menisci were imaged with an anterior segment optical coherence tomography (AS-OCT) system and ...

PURPOSE To report a novel method for pachymetry mapping of human precorneal tear film using Pentacam. METHODS Precorneal tear film is routinely undetected by Pentacam but could be well visualized with the aid of fluorescein. Twenty patients with dry eye and 20 age-matched control subjects with normal eyes were enrolled in this prospective study. The right eye of each subject was scanned once ...

Protease-activated receptor-2 (PAR-2) plays an extensive role in the regulation of digestive exocrine secretion. The present study examined whether PAR-2-related peptides could modulate tear secretion in rats and analyzed the underlying mechanisms. SLIGRL-NH(2), a PAR-2-activating peptide (PAR-2-AP) derived from mouse/rat PAR-2, when administered i.v. in combination with amastatin, an aminopept...

PURPOSE Serotonin, a neurotransmitter known to be involved in nociceptor sensitization, is present in human tears. The purpose of this study was to correlate tear serotonin levels, as a marker of nociceptor sensitization, to facets of dry eye (DE), including symptoms and signs. DESIGN Cross-sectional study. PARTICIPANTS A total of 62 patients with normal eyelid and corneal anatomy were pros...

PURPOSE To evaluate tear film stability in patients with tear dysfunction and an asymptomatic control group by using the novel, noninvasive Tear Stability Analysis System (TSAS). METHODS In this prospective case-control study, 45 patients with dysfunctional tear syndrome (DTS) were stratified into three groups (1, 2, and 3/4) based on clinical severity, with higher scores indicating more seve...