Schirmer test values and lysozyme content of tears in acute dendritic keratitis.

In acute dendritic keratitis, the lacrimal flow is increased in the affected eye but not in the normal fellow eye. After recovery the tearflow returns to normal. The lysozyme concentration in the affected and the normal fellow eye do not differ statistically significantly nor do they differ significantly from values of an age- and sex-matched control group. There is no correlation between tearflow and lysozyme concentration. These findings support the view of a constant composition of stimulated tear fluid, irrespective of tear volume produced.