Conjunctival microvascular responses to anti-inflammatory treatment in patients with dry eye

作者：Deng, Yuqing; Chen, Wan; Xiao, Peng; Jiang, Hong; Wang, Jianhua; Chen, Weirong; Li, Saiqun; Zhong, Jing; Peng, Lulu; Wang, Qian; Yuan, Jin

来源：Microvascular Research, 2020, 131: 104033.

DOI：10.1016/j.mvr.2020.104033

• Dry eye
• Microvasculature
• Microcirculation
• Anti-inflammatory
• Functional slit-lamp biomicroscopy

Purpose: This study characterized conjunctival microvascular morphological and haemodynamic responses after anti-inflammatory treatment in dry eye (DE).
Materials and methods: Twenty-five patients with moderate DE (17 females and 8 males aged 48 +/- 16 years) who underwent anti-inflammatory therapy (0.1% fluorometholone) and 25 healthy subjects (20 females and 5 males aged 48 +/- 17 years) recruited as controls were enrolled. The conjunctival blood flow rate (BFR), blood flow velocity (BFV) and vessel diameter were measured by functional slit-lamp biomicroscopy (FSLB). DE symptoms and signs were assessed. All measurements were performed at baseline and at 30 and 60 days after commencement of treatment.
Results: At baseline, the conjunctival BFR, BFV, and vessel diameter were higher in the DE group than in the control group (p < 0.05). The BFR, BFV and corneal fluorescein staining (CFS) scores decreased at 60 days after therapy compared to at baseline and 30 days (all p(corrected) < 0.05); Ocular surface diseases index (OSDI), the hyperaemia index (HI) and vessel diameters only showed significant decreases at 30 days. Moreover, significant increases in the noninvasive tear film break-up time (NI-BUT) and Schirmer I test score (ST) were observed. The CFS score correlated positively with BFV (r = 0.46), BFR (r = 0.58) and vessel diameter (r = 0.47).
Conclusion: This study characterized conjunctival microvascular responses to anti-inflammatory treatment in DE patients. The results suggest that conjunctival BFV and BFR can be used as dynamic markers for treatment efficacy in DE.

• 单位
  中山大学