Essentials for Diagnosing Ocular Surface Disease

Tools to help the practitioner diagnose Dry Eye Disease

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Early recognition of signs and symptoms, plus prompt diagnosis, can minimize the potential for severe or chronic complications. A comprehensive eye and vision examination with an in-depth evaluation of the ocular surface and adnexa is a good first step to take when seeing a patient who exhibits signs of ocular surface disease or complains of related symptoms.

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Tools to diagnose Dry Eye Disease should be efficient and cost-effective. The newer modalities using meibography and inflammatory marker testing will aid optometrists in reaching that goal.

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Introduction

Patients consult eye care providers about dry eyes after having visited all of the drug stores within a 100-mile radius of their homes. After having tried every preserved and non-preserved tear drop, gel, and ointment available, the patient still has problems. Despite the availability of numerous diagnostic tools, a challenge lies in determining the best tests to identify dry eye disease. Eye care professionals must also consider how to optimize revenue generation while minimizing overhead expenses. Given these parameters, performing meibography and testing inflammatory markers in the tear film are comparatively cost effective and informative strategies.