Table 3:
Symptoms, signs and in-vivo confocal microscopy (IVCM) parameters of individuals with dry eye (DE) symptoms grouped by the presence or absence of ≥2 activated dendritic cells (aDCs) in the central cornea.
| Parameter | <2aDCs (n=95) | ≥2 aDCs (n=33) | P-Value |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dry eye specific questionnaires, mean (SD) | |||
| Total DEQ-5 Score | 15.1 (3.6) | 16.1 (4.2) | 0.19 |
| Total OSDI Score | 49.2 (25.3) | 57.5 (21.0) | 0.10 |
| Ocular pain specific questionnaires | |||
| Intensity of ocular pain, averaged over past | 4.6 (2.9) | 4.7 (2.7) | >0.99 |
| week, mean (SD) | |||
| NPSI-E sub-score*, mean (SD) | 18.5 (11.6) | 18.2 (10.0) | 0.88 |
| Intensity of burning, mean (SD) | 4.5(3.3) | 4.8(3.2) | 0.71 |
| Burning ≥ 8, n (%) | 24 (25.3%) | 8 (25.0%) | 0.99 |
| Wind sensitivity, mean (SD) | 4.6 (3.3) | 0.7 (2.6) | 0.78 |
| Wind sensitivity ≥ 8, n (%) | 20 (24.2%) | 4 (12.5%) | 0.21 |
| Light sensitivity, mean (SD) | 5.1(3.4) | 5.4(3.3) | 0.62 |
| Light sensitivity ≥ 8, n (%) | 31 (33.0%) | 11 (34.4%) | 0.99 |
| Temperature sensitivity, mean (SD) | 4.4 (3.2) | 3.9 (2.9) | 0.41 |
| Temperature sensitivity ≥ 8, n (%) | 18 (19.1%) | 3 (9.4%) | 0.28 |
| Persistent Pain After Anesthesia**, n (%) | 53 (55.8%) | 21 (63.6%) | 0.54 |
| Ocular surface finding | |||
| MMP-9, mean (SD) | 1.0 (0.9) | 1.1 (1.0) | 0.67 |
| Anterior blepharitis, mean (SD) | 0.6(0.8) | 0.5 (0.7) | 0.79 |
| Eyelid vascularity, mean (SD) | 1.0 (1.1) | 0.7 (1.0) | 0.10 |
| Meibomian gland inspissation, mean (SD) | 0.8 (0.7) | 0.8 (0.7) | 0.89 |
| Temporal conjunctivochalasis, mean (SD) | 0.6 (0.6) | 0.4 (0.5) | 0.19 |
| Middle conjunctivochalasis, mean (SD) | 0.1 (0.3) | 0 (0) | <0.01 |
| Nasal conjunctivochalasis, mean (SD) | 0.3 (0.5) | 0.1 (0.3) | <0.01 |
| Tear break up time (s), mean (SD) | 6.0 (4.0) | 5.9 (4.0) | 0.89 |
| Corneal staining, mean (SD) | 2.1 (2.7) | 3.1 (4.2) | 0.20 |
| Schirmer wetting length (mm/5min) | 9.6 (7.4) | 8.1 (5.7) | 0.30 |
| Papillae, mean (SD) | 0.5 (0.5) | 0.4 (0.5) | 0.82 |
| Fibrosis, n (%) | 5 (6.0%) | 0 (0%) | 0.32 |
| Meibum quality, mean (SD) | 1.1 (1.1) | 1.1 (1.1) | >0.99 |
| Central cornea IVCM Parameters, mean (SD) | |||
| Nerve fiber density (fibers/mm2) | 19.8 (8.8) | 18.3 (9.4) | 0.42 |
| Nerve fiber length (mm/mm2) | 12.0 (3.8) | 13.0 (4.0) | 0.18 |
| Nerve branch density (branches/mm2) | 24.7 (17.4) | 24.5 (16.3) | 0.96 |
| Total branch density (branches/mm2) | 38.3 (26.1) | 45.8 (32.1) | 0.24 |
| Nerve fiber area (mm2/mm2) | 0.006 (0.002) | 0.007 (0.004) | <0.01 |
| Nerve fiber width (mm/mm2) | 0.021 (0.002) | 0.022 (0.002) | 0.12 |
| Nerve fractal dimension | 1.45 (0.06) | 1.47 (0.04) | 0.05 |
| Dendritic cells (cells/mm2) | 20 (25.6) | 79.4 (63.1) | <0.01 |
| Activated dendritic cells (cells/mm2) | 1.7 (2.8) | 26.3 (15.0) | <0.01 |
SD = Standard Deviation; DEQ-5 = Dry Eye Questionnaire 5; OSDI = Ocular Surface Disease; aDC=activated Dendritic Cells; MMP-9= matrix metalloproteinase 9 test
*
NPSI-E Sub-Score= Total score of four select questions from the Neuropathic Pain Symptom Inventory modified for the Eye referring to the intensity of burning, wind sensitivity, light sensitivity, temperature sensitivity; NRS=numerical rating scale
**
NRS Pre-Anesthesia > 0 and NRS Post-Anesthesia > 0