The inability to detect doxycycline in the tear film of patients undergoing treatment indicates that doxycycline does not directly inhibit MMP activity or the synthesis/secretion of these proteases and IL-1 from corneal epithelial cells.
We have surveyed the ophthalmic literature of the last five years in an attempt to evaluate the use and usefulness of Rose Bengal staining as an aid to differential diagnosis in dry eyes. Included both as a criterion and as an adjunct measure of disease progression, Rose Bengal scores of patients with different dry eye conditions overlap, sometimes to a considerable extent. A mechanistic link between staining with this dye and disease etiology is unlikely; however, Rose Bengal could be a surrogate marker of changes in ocular surface physiology. The question whether the extent and pattern of staining with Rose Bengal provide the clinician with information not available from other tests, and in particular from fluorescein staining of the ocular surface, has to be answered positively, though the nature of this information is not clearly understood. A more widespread recognition that Rose Bengal is not a vital dye is necessary in order not to bias the interpretation of experimental results.
Dermatochalasis is well known to cause visual field defects in many patients. Anecdotally, patients often report that their vision is brighter following upper eyelid blepharoplasty. The authors have demonstrated a significant increase in contrast sensitivity in patients who have undergone upper eyelid blepharoplasty surgery. This information may be of use in justifying blepharoplasty surgery in the future.
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