Micropachometric quantification of tear assessment tests.

After reviewing the results of available methods for defining the dry eye with an exact assessment of severity, we found that micropachometry was the most sensitive. The following is a ranking of the other tests according to usefulness: Tear resistance, Schirmer, and BUT. Rose bengal stained eyes were usually decompensated; the meniscus test's primary use was as an "all or nothing" indicator, but recording the widths of extant menisci were unproductive.