Morphology of corneal nerves and corneal sensation in dry eye: A preliminary study

Abstract

Purpose: To evaluate the corneal sensitivity and nerve morphology in dry eyes. Methods: A total of 32 eyes of 16 patients (10 Sjogren's syndrome and six non-Sjogren's syndrome) and 19 eyes of 10 age-matched controls were studied. Sensitivity of the central cornea was measured by the Cochet-Bonnet aesthesiometer. The morphology of corneal nerves was studied by in vivo confocal microscopy (ConfoScan 2.0, Fortune Technologies Srl, Vigonza (PD), Italy). Sub-basal epithelial nerve plexus, subepithelial nerve plexus, and stromal nerves were localized and evaluated for the number of nerves, thickness, reflectivity, and tortuosity for each frame. Results: The mean corneal sensitivity of dry eye patients (5.6mm/grs/S) was found significantly lower than that of the control (5.0mm/grs/S) group (P<0.01). Although the subepithelial nerves were thicker in dry eyes (mean: 6.38±1.18±m) than control eyes (mean: 5.72±1.27±m), this difference was not significant (P>0.05). Conclusion: Decreased corneal sensitivity is not associated with morphological changes of corneal nerves in dry eyes. © 2005 Nature Publishing Group. All rights reserved.