New research from Brien Holden Vision Institute “will extend knowledge of the influence of the eyelid margin on dry eye and contact lens wear, and hopefully lead to improving care for dry eye patients across the world,” according to Carolina Kunnen, PhD Candidate, Brien Holden Vision Institute and University of New South Wales.
Ms. Kunnen’s research has shown that traditional grading scales, using lissamine green to stain the eyelid and rate the severity of cell damage at the lid wiper margin then recommend treatments, are inconsistent between clinicians. This results in low reliability and agreement when grading the condition.
“Our upper eyelid travels approximately 12cm per minute along the surface of the eye, so it is important that our eyes are well lubricated,” said Ms. Kunnen.
“Damage of the epithelial cells, at the upper eyelid margin, also called the lid wiper zone, can be the cause of this irritation.”
“We have now developed a novel software program which can automatically assess the cell damage at this region,” said Ms. Kunnen. “The software will contribute to better understanding of cell damage at the lid wiper region.”
