Tear production and corneal sensitivity measurement in dogs with and without dry eye

• Grant number: 11/21426-0
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Scientific Initiation
• Start date: March 01, 2012
• End date: December 31, 2012
• Field of knowledge: Agronomical Sciences - Veterinary Medicine - Animal Clinics and Surgery
• Principal Investigator: Aline Adriana Bolzan
• Grantee: Tatiane Villar
• Host Institution: Faculdade de Medicina Veterinária e Zootecnia (FMVZ). Universidade de São Paulo (USP). São Paulo , SP, Brazil

Abstract

The dry eye disease (DED), also known as keratoconjuntivitis sicca, is one of the most incident ophthalmic conditions in dogs, mainly due to a lacrimal aqueous deficiency. Although several tests have been indicated for the diagnosis, many of them are still not well explored in the veterinary ophthalmology. Therefore, it was conceived to measure the lacrimal production and corneal sensitivity in dogs with and without the DED. The lacrimal production will be measured by the phenol red thread and Schirmer's tests. The corneal sensitivity will be measured with the Cochet-Bonnet esthesiometer (keratoesthesiometry). The purpose of this study is to compare the results obtained by the proposed methods in 30 dogs, of which 15 with the DED (G1) and 15 devoid the DED (G2). The collected data will be submitted to statistical analysis to verify the occurrence of correlation between the lacrimal production and the corneal sensitivity in G1 and G2 groups. Furthermore, it will be investigated the interdependence between these parameters and epidemiological data, such as those relating to age, breed, and sex of the animals.(AU)