How Is Dry Eye Diagnosed?

Dry eye occurs when your eyes lack adequate moisture or lubrication because your eyes produce poor quality or inadequate tears. You may experience symptoms like a scratchy, burning, stinging sensation in the eyes, light sensitivity, eye redness, or stringy mucus around and in your eyes.

Visit your eye specialist to get a diagnosis for treatment. Read on to learn how dry eye disease is diagnosed.

Schirmer’s Test

Your doctor will use a Schirmer’s test to know whether your eyes can remain moist with the tears they produce. They will use a medical paper strip to do the test. They will place it on the lower eyelids and ask you to shut your eyes. The paper strip will absorb your tears to show the water volume in the tear film. 

 

After roughly 5 minutes of absorption, your eye doctor will check how the tears will move along the strip. You may have dry eyes if they travel below 15 mm.

 

Slit Lamp Test

A slit lamp test evaluates if your eyes make enough tears. A slit lamp is a type of microscope. The process begins by placing a drop into your eye. Doing so will help them see your tears easier. 

Your eye doctor will look at your eyes and eyelids using a microscope and by shining a thin light into your eye. 

LipiScan®

Meibomian gland dysfunction can cause severe dry eye. Thus, getting a diagnosis is necessary. A LipiScan® device can determine if your meibomian glands are healthy or blocked. It produces high-resolution images of the meibomian glands. 

TearLab®

Your doctor can assess your tear osmolarity and saltiness through a TearLab® test. Your eyes are healthy, lubricated, and moist if you have low and steady osmolarity. Your eye surface can get damaged if you have poor quality and an inadequate quantity.

Your tear film must have the right balance of water, oil, mucus, and the proteins necessary to fight infections. The eye specialist will collect a tear sample and use a TearLab test to assess its osmolarity and composition. 

Tear Breakup Time 

Tear breakup time tests how long your eyes take to evaporate. Quick evaporation leads to dry eyes. Your doctor uses blotting paper with an orange dye. The blotting paper must be sterile, as it must touch your eyes. The dye coats and spreads on your tear film when you blink.

The test entails using blue light to track the tear evaporation rate. Your eye specialist will highlight damage on your corneal surface or issues that could lead to dry eyes.

Phenol Red Thread Test 

A phenol red thread test helps examine the tears’ aqueous layer, determining its reduction. The test also evaluates your tear volume. A weakened aqueous layer leads to dry eyes. It reduces how your tears spread across your eye surface. 

The specialist will use a red string and then drape it on your eyes. After doing so, they will observe the number of tears produced within a few seconds.

For more information on how dry eye is diagnosed or to schedule an appointment, call Highlands Optometry at our office in Wise or Bristol, Virginia at (276) 466-4227 or (276) 679-5612, respectively.