Investigation of the impact of tear film dynamics on optical coherence tomography image quality in patients with dry eye disease.

PURPOSE: To investigate the effect of tear film parameters on optical coherence tomography (OCT) signal strength index (SSI) in dry eye disease (DED) patients.

METHODS

This cross-sectional study included 77 DED patients and 77 healthy controls. All participants underwent ocular surface index (OSDI) assessment, Schirmer I test, non-invasive break up time (NIBUT) measurement, and OCT imaging. SSI values from raster and optic nerve head (ONH) scans were recorded using the RTVue-100 device. Correlation and multivariate analyses were performed.

RESULTS

DED patients exhibited significantly lower raster and ONH SSI values compared to controls (p < 0.001). SSI positively correlated with NIBUT and Schirmer, and negatively with OSDI scores (p < 0.001). NIBUT and OSDI were independent predictors of SSI in regression models.

CONCLUSION

Tear film instability reduces OCT signal quality in DED, even without media opacities. Ocular surface optimization should be considered before OCT imaging to ensure accurate evaluation of measurements.