Fluorescein is perhaps the most commonly used substance to visualize tear film thickness and dynamics; better understanding of this process aids understanding of dry eye syndrome which afflicts millions of people. We study a mathematical model for tear film flow, evaporation, solutal transport and fluorescence over the exposed ocular surface during the interblink. Transport of the fluorescein i...

Tears are secreted from the lacrimal gland (LG), a dysfunction in which induces dry eye, resulting in ocular discomfort and visual impairment. Honey bee products are used as a nutritional source in daily life and medicine; however, little is known about their effects on dry eye. The aim of the present study was to investigate the effects of honey bee products on tear secretion capacity in dry e...

In tear fluid, a large number of proteins can be detected with electrophoretic or immunologic techniques. The composition of serum proteins in tears resembles that of whole serum. By comparison of the protein patterns resulting from different sampling methods, it was shown that serum albumin is not present in the secretion of the lacrimal gland, but is mixed with the tear fluid in the conjuncti...

PURPOSE Elevated tear fluid plasmin activity may correlate with delayed healing of corneal wounds. The present study was performed to establish the tear fluid plasmin activity after photorefractive keratoablation (PRK). METHODS Tear fluid aspirated with microcapillaries was subjected to a fluorometric plasmin assay using the 7-amido-4-trifluoromethylcoumarin derivate of the tripeptide H-D-Val...

OBJECTIVE To validate a means of collecting tears from cats, develop an assay for quantifying famciclovir and penciclovir in tears, and to assess famciclovir and penciclovir concentrations and pharmacokinetics in the tears of cats being treated orally with famciclovir for suspected herpetic disease. ANIMALS Seven client-owned cats. PROCEDURES Cats were treated orally with a median (range) d...

In filamentous fungi, hyphal extension depends on the continuous delivery of vesicles to the growing tip. Here, we describe the identification of two cell end marker proteins, TeaA and TeaR, in Aspergillus nidulans, corresponding to Tea1 and Mod5 in Schizosaccharomyces pombe. Deletion of teaA or teaR caused zig-zag-growing and meandering hyphae, respectively. The Kelch-repeat protein TeaA, the ...

PURPOSE Colostrum has been proposed to treat severe dryness and problematic eye lesions showing a beneficial effect. The aim of the study was to investigate the effect of 2-fucosyl-lactose, a natural sugar present in the human colostrum, in an experimental dry eye. METHODS Dry eye was induced in adult male New Zealand albino rabbits by topical administration of 1% atropine. Tear volume (Schir...

PURPOSE To evaluate changes in clinical outcomes, inflammatory cytokine levels, and tear osmolarity in the tears of patients with moderate to severe dry eye syndrome before and after the application of topical 1% methylprednisolone. MATERIALS AND METHODS Thirty-two patients with moderate to severe dry eye unresponsive to previous aqueous enhancement therapy were enrolled. Five patients were l...

Tear gas has gained widespread acceptance as a means of controlling civilian crowds and subduing barricaded criminals. The most widely used forms of tear gas have been o-chlorobenzylidenemalononitrile and omega-chloroacetophenone. Proponents of their use claim that, if used correctly, the noxious effects of exposure are transient and of no long-term consequences. The use of tear gas in recent s...

The precorneal tear film with its lacrimal, mucinous, and meibomian secretions is es­ sential for maintaining the structural in­ tegrity of the cornea in general and for en­ suring optical regularity of its anterior surface in particular. Replenishment and mixing of its components is brought about by normal blinking when the upper eyelid tarsal conjunctiva, preceded by the marginal tear strip, ...