Investigation of tear film change after recovery from acute conjunctivitis.

PURPOSE: To study the changes of tear film after recovery from acute conjunctivitis.

METHODS

This study involved 73 eyes of 56 consecutive patients who complained of dry eye after recovery from acute conjunctivitis at the Zhongshan Ophthalmic Center. Excluded were other factors that could affect the stability of the tear film. Tear film breakup time (BUT), Schirmer 1 test (S1T), tear meniscus height (TMH), and fluorescein staining (FL) were performed on both recovered and healthy eyes. The scores were measured at 3, 7, 14, 21, and 30 days after recovery.

RESULTS

Compared with the results of the healthy eyes, most scores of BUT, S1T, TMH, and FL were all abnormal until day 30 after recovery from acute conjunctivitis. BUT decreased at 3, 7, 14, and 21 days (P < 0.05). S1T decreased at 3, 7, and 21 days (P < 0.05). TMH values became less than normal at 3, 7, and 14 days (P < 0.05). FL increased significantly at 7, 14, and 21 days (P < 0.05). At 30 days after recovery, all of the test scores returned to normal (P > 0.05).

CONCLUSIONS

During acute conjunctivitis, inflammation and topical therapeutic agents can alter the tear film secretion, resulting in dry eye for nearly 1 month in recovered eyes. To minimize the effect of topical agents to the tear film, individualized treatment instead of frequent instillation of topical agents is recommended for acute conjunctivitis.