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Tear film biomarkers as prognostic indicators for recurrent pterygium
Author(s) -
ZAKARIA N
Publication year - 2010
Publication title -
acta ophthalmologica
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.534
H-Index - 87
eISSN - 1755-3768
pISSN - 1755-375X
DOI - 10.1111/j.1755-3768.2010.2167.x
Subject(s) - pterygium , medicine , ophthalmology , population , vegf receptors , environmental health
Purpose The aim of this project is to establish the use of IL‐6, IL‐8 and VEGF as biomarkers in the tear film for early detection of recurrent pterygium. Methods Cytometric Bead Array (CBA) kits will be used to perform multicytokine assays in the tear samples of eyes having pterygium before and after surgical resection of the pterygia. This technique utilizes flow cytometry to determine the concentrations of multiple analytes namely IL‐6, IL‐8 and VEGF (proposed biomarkers) present in small volumes of tear fluid.Patients with pterygia showing corneal encroachment and requiring surgical excision will be recruited in this study along with a second population of control subjects consisting of individuals with no history of eye diseases or contact lens wear. After instilling a local anesthetic, 3 drops of normal saline will be applied and the at least 50µl of the diluted epithelial secretions collected and stored at ‐80°C for CBA analysis. From the results we can determine the baseline levels of IL‐6, IL‐8 and VEGF present in normal epithelial secretions and correlate it with potentially higher levels in the eyes of patients with pterygia. By collecting post op epithelial secretions at different time points along with regular ocular surface photographs and grading of any recurrent pterygia we will be able to ascertain the role of these cytokines and growth factors as biomarkers for recurrent pterygia. Conclusion By establishing higher tear film levels of IL‐6, IL‐8 and VEGF in eyes with pterygia compared to normal eyes and the return to baseline levels post excision we can begin to ascertain the role of these key players in the pathogenesis of pterygia.