Abstract
To determine whether wetting length of Schirmer tear test (STT) strips varies by commercial manufacturer of test. Ten normal female beagle cross-breed dogs. Schirmer tear test strips from four commercial manufacturers were used to assess wetting lengths in-vitro when exposed to a set volume of water over 1minute. Digital photography was used to assess the total surface area of Schirmer strips from each manufacturer. Schirmer tear test type 1 was performed on normal dogs over 1minute with STT strips from the same four commercial manufacturers in a randomized crossover design. ANOVA was used to detect differences between strips from different manufacturers. Significant differences in wetting length were found between STT strips from different manufacturers in-vitro (P<.0001) and in-vivo (P<.0001). STT wetting lengths for the in-vitro experiments (mean±SD) were 21.2±0.8mm (Amcon Laboratories), 27.8±2.7mm (Merck Animal Health), 30.0±1.7mm (HUB pharmaceuticals), and 31.5±2.3mm (Gulden Ophthalmics). STT wetting lengths for the experiments in live dogs (mean±SD) were 17.5±3.4mm (Amcon Laboratories), 24.8±3.9mm (Merck Animal Health), 26.5±3.7mm (HUB pharmaceuticals), and 24.0±3.9mm (Gulden Ophthalmics). The surface area of STT strips were found to vary between different manufacturers. Schirmer tear test type 1 results in dogs are affected by choice of STT strip commercial manufacturer. It is proposed that guidelines are created for the standardization of future STT strip production.
Published Version
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