Background/aims It is unclear whether a reduction in tear secretion contributes to the discomfort experienced by those with prosthetic eyes. Tear secretion has hitherto only been measured with the Schirmer test which may be affected by the pooling of tears behind the prosthesis. In this study, direct imaging of the lacrimal gland has been performed to measure tear secretion in anophthalmic sockets. The relation between the area of meibomian glands and dry eye symptoms was also assessed. Methods 12 patients were included. The amount of tear secretion was measured by direct imaging of the lacrimal gland while the presence of meibomian glands was determined using meibography. The 5-item Dry Eye Questionnaire was used to assess symptoms of dry eye. Results No difference was found in tear secretion between the anophthalmic socket and the contralateral eye. The area of meibomian glands was significantly reduced in eyelids on the side of the prosthetic eye, compared with the contralateral eye. Seven patients reported symptoms indicative of dry eye in the anophthalmic socket, compared with only two in the contralateral eye. Conclusions The effects of an eye prosthesis on meibomian glands may contribute to the frequently perceived symptoms of dry eye despite unaffected in tear secretion. All data relevant to the study are included in the article.

中文翻译：

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假眼患者的泪液分泌得以保留，而睑板腺面积却减少，从而导致干眼症状


背景/目的 目前尚不清楚泪液分泌减少是否会导致假眼患者感到不适。迄今为止，泪液分泌仅通过 Schirmer 测试来测量，该测试可能会受到假体后面泪水汇集的影响。在这项研究中，对泪腺进行了直接成像，以测量无眼窝的泪液分泌量。还评估了睑板腺面积和干眼症状之间的关系。方法 纳入 12 名患者。通过泪腺的直接成像测量泪液分泌量，同时使用睑板造影术确定睑板腺的存在。 5 项干眼问卷用于评估干眼症状。结果无眼窝与对侧眼的泪液分泌没有差异。与对侧眼相比，义眼一侧眼睑的睑板腺面积显着减少。七名患者报告无眼窝出现干眼症状，而对侧眼仅有两名患者出现干眼症状。结论 眼假体对睑板腺的影响可能会导致常见的干眼症状，尽管泪液分泌不受影响。与该研究相关的所有数据都包含在文章中。