Morphology of corneal nerves and corneal sensation in dry eye: a preliminary study.

Eye (Lond)

Department of Ophthalmology, Faculty of Medicine, Ankara University, Mamak, Ankara, Turkey.

Published: December 2005

Purpose: To evaluate the corneal sensitivity and nerve morphology in dry eyes.

Methods: A total of 32 eyes of 16 patients (10 Sjogren's syndrome and six non-Sjogren's syndrome) and 19 eyes of 10 age-matched controls were studied. Sensitivity of the central cornea was measured by the Cochet-Bonnet aesthesiometer. The morphology of corneal nerves was studied by in vivo confocal microscopy (ConfoScan 2.0, Fortune Technologies Srl, Vigonza (PD), Italy). Sub-basal epithelial nerve plexus, subepithelial nerve plexus, and stromal nerves were localized and evaluated for the number of nerves, thickness, reflectivity, and tortuosity for each frame.

Results: The mean corneal sensitivity of dry eye patients (5.6 mm/grs/S) was found significantly lower than that of the control (5.0 mm/grs/S) group (P<0.01). Although the subepithelial nerves were thicker in dry eyes (mean: 6.38+/-1.18 microm) than control eyes (mean: 5.72+/-1.27 microm), this difference was not significant (P>0.05).

Conclusion: Decreased corneal sensitivity is not associated with morphological changes of corneal nerves in dry eyes.

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http://dx.doi.org/10.1038/sj.eye.6701760DOI Listing

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