Ocular thermography in ocular inflammation and dry eye

Abstract

AbstractMeasurement of the ocular surface temperature (OST) has been proposed as a diagnostic method for ocular surface pathologies as dry eye disease (DED), due to the involvement in its pathophysiology of tear evaporation rate.During mild inflammation induced by UV radiation in guinea pigs, no changes in the initial OST measured immediately after eye opening and in the rate of OST decrease during the interblink interval (IBI) were observed. However, during allergic keratoconjunctivitis, where tearing and blinking were significantly increased and a prominent inflammation was induced, the initial OST was significantly increased.In animals with experimentally‐induced tear deficiency, a variability in the initial OST values was found: some animals showed a “cold spot” (increasing in intensity and size during IBI) in the central cornea, while in other animals initial OST was warmer than control, suggesting a subclinical inflammation.Eyes from Sjögren syndrome patients, besides a reduced tearing rate, showed higher initial OST and faster ocular surface cooling between blinks than eyes from age‐matched healthy subjects.Although OST values per se do not provide relevant information on ocular surface disease, due to the differences in etiology and pathophysiology of DED, it may be a valid diagnostic method if combined with the clinical evaluation of inflammation, and tear volume, composition and stability.Support: AEI‐ERDF SAF‐2017‐83674‐C2‐1‐R and 2‐R; Generalitat Valenciana PROMETEO/2018/114.