Purpose: Vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) is a trophic factor for corneal nerves (CNs). Despite its widespread use to treat a variety of retinal diseases, the effect of repetitive intravitreal (IV) anti-VEGF injections on CN is not known.
Methods: Retrospective case-control study.
Purpose: Conjunctival microvascular responses may be a surrogate metric of efferent neural pathway function innervating the ocular surface as changes in blood flow occur within seconds after a stimulus. As somatosensory dysfunction may partially underlie dry eye (DE), in this study we evaluate whether bulbar conjunctival microvascular alterations correlate with various aspects of DE.
Methods: Fifty-six DE patients were prospectively recruited from a Veterans Affairs ophthalmology clinic over an 11-month period.