Explore The Correlation Between Dry Eye Symptoms And Signs In The Elderly By Keratograph

AIM:To evaluate the correlation between the symptoms and signs of dry eye in the elderly by Keratograph 5M.Methods:A total of 102 the aged people(60-81 years old)from dry eye clinic were examined with Ocular Surface Disease Index(OSDI)and Keratograph.A series of dry eye-related examinations were performed on the patients by Keratograph,including tear meniscus hight(TMH),noninvasive tear film break-up time(NI-BUT),meibomian gland score,lipid layer analysis score,conjunctival hyperemia score.The correlation between OSDI score and Keratograph analyzer-related examinations were assessed by pearson correlation analysis.The ANOVA and LSD-t test were used to analyze the differerces between four groups divided by OSDI score.The interclass correlation coeficient(ICC)was used to evaluate the retest reliability of the Keratograph.Results:The TMH was(0.18±0.06)mm,NI-BUTf was(6.15±3.44)s,NI-BUTave was(8.05±3.62)s,meibomian gland score was(2.21±1.49),lipid layer analysis score was(1.57±0.68),conjunctival hyperemia score was(1.37±0.56),OSDI score was(24.34±12.16).The Spearson correlation analysis indicated that the significant negative correlation was shown between the OSDI score and NI-BUTf(P<0.01),OSDI score and NI-BUTave(P<0.01),OSDI score and lipid layer analysis score(P<0.01).The significant positive correlation was found between OSDI score and meibomian gland score(P<0.01).There was no correlation between OSDI score and TMH,OSDI score and conjunctival hyperemia score(P =0.695;P =0.138).A significant difference was found in the NI-BUTf,NI-BUTave,meibomian gland score and lipid layer analysis score in the non-dry eye group,mild dry eye group,moderate dry eye group and severe dry eye group(P<0.01;P<0.01;P<0.01;P<0.01).However,there was no significant difference in the TMH and conjunctival hyperemia score between the four groups(P =0.508;P =0.389).The rerest reliability was between 0.854 and 0.891.Conclusion:There was a significant correlation between dry eye symptoms and NI-BUT,meibomian gland score,lipid layer analysis score.Keratograph 5M can objectively evaluated the ocular surface condition of the elderly which have a high clinical value,some of its index is a good indication of the correlation between symptoms and signs.