The anterior eye Flashcards
what are the tear film layers in order from outer to inner
- lipid layer
- aqueous layer
- aqueous phase (MUC 5AC)
- glycolax (MUC1), (MUC 4), (MUC 16)
- mucinous phase
- epithelial surface with microvilli
what can ocular surface and tear film disorders cause?
DED
MGD
CL DISCOMFORT
what are two types of dry eye disease? what are there symptoms?
dry eye syndrome (DES) and keratoconjunctivitis sicca (KCS)
-dryness
-discomfort
-irritation
-reduced vision
what are the two types of dry eye?
-aqueous deficiency where is affects the lacrimal gland function
-evaporative dry eye
what is the most frequent cause of DED?
MGD
why is it important to prevent DED
-it is very expensive to treat i.e.. cost of referrals, Px etc
what are the 4 inter-related mechanisms responsible for DED
-tear instability
-tear hyperosmolarity
-inflammation
-ocular surface damage
what is evaporative dry eye?
related to causes from
-lids such as MDG and blink problems
-ocular surface such as mucin or CL-related
what is another name for MGD
posterior blepharitis
how is obstructive MGD caused?
- terminal duct obstruction
- caused by hyperkeratinisation of the ductal epithelium, keratinised cell debris and increased meibum viscosity
- causes normal clear oily secretions to become semi-solid, toothpase like plaques
what kind of populations are most likely to have MGD?
mainly asian populations
what is the vicious cycle for dry eye disease?
- damage to ocular surface
- goblet cell loss
- mucin loss
- tear film instability
- excessive tear evaporation
- hyperosmolarity
8.inflammation - keratinisation of gland orfices
which causes inflammation and the cycle repeats
what is the cycle for MGD?
- bacterial proliferation causes increased exotoxin release
- lipases and esterases destabilise the tear films lipid layer
- this causes a rise in meibum melting point
- which causes meibomian gland dysfunction
which leads to proliferation of bacteria and the cycle repeats
What are the consistent risk factors for Dry eye?
-increasing age
-CL wear
-being female
-Asian ethnicity
what are the signs of dry eye?
-fluorescein staining, small tear meniscus height, TBUT <10
what are the symptoms of dry eye?
-discomfort
-dryness
-irritation
-grittiness
-fluctuating vision which may get worse throughout the day
-vision that gets worse with wind, smoke, heat and prolonged near activities
how do you diagnose dry eye?
-use the dry eye questionnaire to determine if they have symptoms of dry eye (difficult if time is limited)
-check tear film stability, tear film osmolarity or ocular surface staining
-check tear meniscus
how do you manage dry eye?
-dietary advice of eating more oily fish for omgea 3
-recommend ocular lubricants such as preservative free artificial tears
-wear protective glasses/ moisture chamber glasses
-use specialist care methods if these don’t work
-refer to secondary care if nothing else works
what specialist care methods can be used when treating dry eye?
-punctum plugs
-scleral / bandage contact lenses
-pharmacological management like topical steroids
what could be differential diagnoses to dry eye?
computer vision syndrome and digital eye strain
what are the risk factors for MGD?
-wearing CLs
-prolonged screen use (as it reduced blink rate)
what are the signs of MGD?
-changes to secretion of the gland
-saponification of tears
-gland plugging/ paste like yellowish secretion
diagnosis of MGD
-inspect the glands for the signs
-push on the meibomian glands to express the meibum
MGD treatment?
squeeze the meibomian glands to clear the blockage