Practical thermography for the anterior ocular surface

Abstract

Dry eye disease can affect more than half the population. Due to the complexity of dry eye disease, it requires a large amount of information to be collected to accurately assess and optimally manage. Thermology has been accepted as a potential method to identify changes in the eyes’ tear film. This can be measured using a common computer device, enabling practitioners to obtain useful diagnostic information when assessing and managing dry eye. Repeatability of a portable FlirOne for iOS infra-red camera was assessed to measure differences in ocular surface temperature of subjects with normal and dry eyes as defined by the Tear Film and Ocular Surface Dry Eye Workshop II. The analysis indicated that the FlirOne iOS infrared camera is a repeatable device when measuring ocular surface temperature of the central cornea. Using the FlirOne iOS camera, the difference in ocular surface temperature after keeping the eye open for ten seconds after a full blink was measured from tear films. Normal difference in ocular surface was assessed at 0.5±0.1ºC, while two categories of dry eye disease were derived based on a difference in ocular surface temperature, category one showed 0.2±0.1ºC and category two showed 0.8±0.2ºC. A study was designed to analyse whether artificial eye lubricants can be used to achieve a normal ocular surface temperature and improve comfort for subjects demonstrating dry eyes. The anterior surface temperature and comfort can be regulated with the aid of artificial eye lubricants. Incorrect use of artificial eye drops can reduce comfort. Thermography can be used for both identification and management of dry eye disease, which can simplify the assessment of irregular tear conditions previously expressed using other techniques.

Date of Award	2022
Original language	English
Supervisor	Faran SABETI (Supervisor) & Myra LEUNG (Supervisor)