The Changes of Tear Osmolarity and Protein After Silicone Punctal Plug Insertion In Dry Eye.

Lee, Eun Ha; Jang, Jae Woo; Lew, Ho Min

Original Article

Journal of the Korean Ophthalmological Society 2001;42(11):1509-1514.
Published online November 1, 2001.

The Changes of Tear Osmolarity and Protein After Silicone Punctal Plug Insertion In Dry Eye.

Eun Ha Lee, Jae Woo Jang, Ho Min Lew

Department of Ophthalmology, Ajou University School of Medicine, Suwon, Korea.

건성안에서 실리콘 누점마개 삽입술이 눈물 오스몰과 단백질 성분에 미치는 영향

유호민(Ho Min Lew),장재우(Jae Woo Jang),이은하(Eun Ha Lee)

Abstract

PURPOSE
To evaluate the changes of tear osmolarity and protein after silicone punctal plug insertion in dry eye. METHODS: We collected tear from 21 dry eyes (11 males and 10 females) with porous polyester rod(Transorb(R)) before silicone punctal occlusion and 2 weeks after the procedure. Tear osmolarity was measured by Fiske 2400 Osmometer(R). Total tear protein concentration was analyzed by Bradford's assay. The concentration of human serum albumin (HSA), lactoferrin, lysozyme were measured by Bio-Rad Gel Doc 2000(R). RESULTS: The tear osmolarity was changed from 364.48+/41.39 mOsm/L to 327.48+/-27.24 mOsm/L after the punctal occlusion (P<0.05). There were no changes of total protein concentration, Human serum albumin, lactoferrin, but lysozyme was increased statistically significantly (P<0.05). CONCLUSION: Silicone punctal occulusion decreases tear osmolarity in dry eye. This decrease is associated with a decrease in ocular surface disease due to high tear osmolarity. Only lysozyme except HSA and lactoferrin was increased significantly. Silicone punctal plug is an effective procedure for dry eye patients, but further investigation of the effects on tear proteins is needed.

Key Words: Human Serum Albumin;Lactoferrin;Lysozyme;Silicone Punctal Occlusion