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Repeatability of non-invasive break-up time measures with a new automated dry eye platform in healthy eyes

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Abstract

Purpose

To evaluate the intrasession repeatability for non-invasive break-up time (NIBUT) and tear meniscus height (TMH) measurements provided by a new multi-diagnostic platform, and to assess the interobserver reproducibility of TMH measures.

Methods

Twenty-one healthy eyes of 21 patients (age, 23–65 years) were enrolled. A complete eye examination was performed in all cases with the VX120+ device (Visionix-Luneau Technologies), including an analysis with the new Dry Eye module, performing three consecutive measurements. The within-subject standard deviation (Sw) and Bland–Altman plots were used to assess intersession repeatability. Differences between examiners for TMH were also analysed.

Results

No statistically significant differences were found between repeated measures of NIBUT (time associated with the first break) and TMH (p > 0.05). However, significant differences were found for NIBUT50% (time associated with half of breaks of the tear film) (p < 0.05). Mean Sw was 0.9 s, 1.4 s and 0.05 mm for NIBUT, NIBUT50% and TMH, respectively. Ranges of agreement between consecutive measures were below 3.5 s and 4.5 s for NIBUT and NIBUT50%, respectively, and below 0.16 mm for TMH. Furthermore, no significant differences were found between examiners in TMH measure, with an inter-examiner range of agreement of 0.12 mm.

Conclusions

The new dry eye platform of the VX120+ platform evaluated provides objective automated measures of NIBUT and TMH, with acceptable level of intrasession repeatability for clinical screening purposes.

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Funding

The author David P Piñero has been supported by the Ministry of Economy, Industry and Competitiveness of Spain within the program Ramón y Cajal, RYC-2016-20471.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Optics, Pharmacology and Anatomy, University of Alicante, Crta San Vicente del Raspeig s/n, 03690, San Vicente del Raspeig, Alicante, Spain

    Ainhoa Molina-Martín, Dolores de Fez & David P. Piñero

  2. Department of Ophthalmology, Vithas Medimar International Hospital, Alicante, Spain

    David P. Piñero

Authors
  1. Ainhoa Molina-Martín
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  2. Dolores de Fez
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  3. David P. Piñero
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to David P. Piñero.

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Conflict of interest

The author David P Piñero has been supported by the Ministry of Economy, Industry and Competitiveness of Spain within the program Ramón y Cajal, RYC-2016-20471. The rest of authors have no proprietary or commercial interest in the medical devices that are involved in this manuscript.

Ethical approval

All procedures performed in studies involving human participants were in accordance with the ethical standards of the institutional research committee and with the 1964 Helsinki Declaration and its later amendments or comparable ethical standards. Informed consent was obtained from all individual participants included in the study.

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Molina-Martín, A., de Fez, D. & Piñero, D.P. Repeatability of non-invasive break-up time measures with a new automated dry eye platform in healthy eyes. Int Ophthalmol 40, 2855–2864 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10792-020-01470-w

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10792-020-01470-w

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