An in vivo study of the corneal surface in keratoconjunctivitis sicca.

Thirteen normal subjects and thirteen subjects with bona fide keratoconjunctivitis sicca were examined employing wide-field colour specular microscopy of the corneal epithelium. The prevalence of small, medium and large cells is different in these two groups with a shift to small cells in patients with keratoconjunctivitis. Increased rose bengal dye uptake filaments, coarse mucus plaques and pre-exfoliative sheets are also seen in keratoconjunctivitis sicca. These findings suggest an accelerated epithelial cell loss from the surface of the eye in keratoconjunctivitis sicca.