Figure 6

Tear microdesiccates from Dry Eye patients. One-μL aliquots of tear fluid collected from two moderate or severe Dry Eye patients were subjected to desiccation on glass slides at ambient conditions. Patient DE1: Woman, 40 y.o., contact lens wearer for 25 years, OSDI score 25, Cochet-Bonnet aesthesiometry 45, borderline slit-lamp biomicroscopy (reduced tear meniscus height, meibomitis), tear break-up time test 9 sec, Schirmer test 7 mm. Diagnosis: moderate Dry Eye. Time for tear desiccation: 4 min 50 sec. Patient DE2: Man, 72 y.o., diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis, OSDI score 54, altered slit-lamp biomicroscopy (+++ bilateral punctate staining of bulbar conjunctivas with fluorescein), tear break-up time test 4 sec, Schirmer test 3 mm, Jones test 0 mm, punctal occlusion for 6 years. Diagnosis: severe Dry Eye. Time for tear desiccation: 5 min 15 sec. Note in both tear microdesiccates a common central zone comprising abundant small and homogeneous contact-inhibited crystalloids, which evoke tear microdesiccates produced under conditions of accelerated desiccation. For comparison, a tear microdesiccate from a healthy volunteer is shown (left).