Yoshiaki Tagawa1, Kousuke Noda2, Takeshi Ohguchi2, Yoshitsugu Tagawa2, Susumu Ishida2, Nobuyoshi Kitaichi3. 1. Department of Ophthalmology, Faculty of Medicine and Graduate School of Medicine, Hokkaido University, Sapporo, Japan; Department of Ophthalmology, Health Sciences University of Hokkaido, Sapporo, Japan. 2. Department of Ophthalmology, Faculty of Medicine and Graduate School of Medicine, Hokkaido University, Sapporo, Japan. 3. Department of Ophthalmology, Faculty of Medicine and Graduate School of Medicine, Hokkaido University, Sapporo, Japan; Department of Ophthalmology, Health Sciences University of Hokkaido, Sapporo, Japan. Electronic address: nobukita@hoku-iryo-u.ac.jp.
Abstract
PURPOSE: To evaluate corneal tactile and pain sensations in patients with short tear film break-up time dry eye (sBUT DE). METHODS: This study enrolled 60 patients with sBUT DE and 46 healthy volunteers from Japan. We evaluated corneal tactile and pain sensations using a modified method with the Cochet-Bonnet corneal esthesiometer. RESULTS: Patients with sBUT DE had higher corneal pain sensitivity (26.3 ± 23.1 mm) than healthy subjects (6.9 ± 16.4 mm), but similar corneal tactile sensation (52.0 ± 15.5 mm and 52.9 ± 14.9 mm, respectively). In patients with sBUT DE and corneal hyperalgesia (n = 22, 36.7%), defined as a pain sensitivity ≥40 mm (i.e., the cutoff value at the 95th percentile of corneal pain sensitivity in healthy subjects), a strong significant correlation was found between the subjective pain score and objective corneal pain sensation (R = 0.79). However, for the entire cohort, we found a weak positive correlation between the subjective pain score and objective corneal pain sensation. CONCLUSIONS: Patients with sBUT DE were hypersensitive to corneal pain, which suggested that corneal hyperalgesia partly accounted for subjective symptoms in patients with sBUT DE.
PURPOSE: To evaluate corneal tactile and pain sensations in patients with short tear film break-up time dry eye (sBUT DE). METHODS: This study enrolled 60 patients with sBUT DE and 46 healthy volunteers from Japan. We evaluated corneal tactile and pain sensations using a modified method with the Cochet-Bonnet corneal esthesiometer. RESULTS:Patients with sBUT DE had higher corneal pain sensitivity (26.3 ± 23.1 mm) than healthy subjects (6.9 ± 16.4 mm), but similar corneal tactile sensation (52.0 ± 15.5 mm and 52.9 ± 14.9 mm, respectively). In patients with sBUT DE and corneal hyperalgesia (n = 22, 36.7%), defined as a pain sensitivity ≥40 mm (i.e., the cutoff value at the 95th percentile of corneal pain sensitivity in healthy subjects), a strong significant correlation was found between the subjective pain score and objective corneal pain sensation (R = 0.79). However, for the entire cohort, we found a weak positive correlation between the subjective pain score and objective corneal pain sensation. CONCLUSIONS:Patients with sBUT DE were hypersensitive to corneal pain, which suggested that corneal hyperalgesia partly accounted for subjective symptoms in patients with sBUT DE.