Temporal changes in the tear menisci following a blink

Abstract

This study investigated tear meniscus formation after a blink. Multiple images of the inferior and superior menisci, viewed en-face, were sequentially captured using a video-slitlamp that permitted the measurement of tear meniscus height (TMH). In a similar manner, tangentially viewed images were obtained of the inferior meniscus so changes in cross-sectional radius of curvature (TMR) with time could be determined. Additionally, the relationship between inferior TMH and tear volume was quantified by the successive instillation of small aliquots of fluid. In this latter experiment the inflow and outflow of tears were controlled by anaesthetizing the ocular surface and inner nose, and use of punctal plugs. The TMH of both menisci rose after a blink ( p < 0.01) by a similar amount ( p = 0.59). This suggests that capillarity is dominant over gravity in tear drainage, however, it may simply reflect that these influences are small compared to the large flow resistances that occur in thin films, hydraulic connectivity between the two menisci, or differences in their anterior-posterior width leading to unequal volume-height relationships. TMR increased with time after a blink ( p < 0.0001); immediately on eye opening the curvature of the inferior meniscus was approximately circular but this soon became eccentric, with the radius of its upper half exceeding that of its lower half. The growth rate of the two menisci slowed with time and this, based on theoretical considerations, is predicted to have occurred primarily because localized thinning of the tear film adjacent to the menisci markedly raised flow resistance. Inferior TMH increased linearly with the cumulative volume of instilled fluid ( r 2 = 0.98), supporting its use in the diagnosis and classification of tear anomalies, although the gradient of this relationship varied between subjects.