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The relation of lipid layer structure to meibum ‐ Results from a new high resolution microscope
Author(s) -
KINGSMITH PE,
BRAUN RJ,
NICHOLS JJ,
NICHOLS KK
Publication year - 2011
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.1755-3768.2011.2335.x
Subject(s) - meibomian gland , microscope , resolution (logic) , evaporation , layer (electronics) , optical microscope , lipid droplet , microscopy , optics , chemistry , high resolution , materials science , biophysics , ophthalmology , nanotechnology , biology , physics , medicine , geology , scanning electron microscope , meteorology , biochemistry , computer science , eyelid , remote sensing , artificial intelligence
Purpose Evaporative dry eye is a common disorder, in which the lipid layer of the tear film is a poor barrier to evaporation. We therefore developed a high resolution microscope as an aid in understanding the properties of the lipid layer. Methods The microscope has a resolution of about 1 um, and uses a stroboscopic light source to prevent blurring from eye movements. Over 10,000 images of a least "fair" quality have been obtained from 375 subjects, including dry eyes and normals. Results Two characteristics of the images are described here. 1. In some dry eye patients, irregular "islands" and circular "lenses" of lipid are seen within an apparently bare surrounding area. 2. In most images, "droplets" of lipid are observed which may be circular or irregular, and are surrounded by lipid of irregular thickness. Droplets do not appear to change in the inter‐blink interval. Conclusion 1. Rapid evaporation is to be expected through the bare surface between islands and lenses. This pattern may be due to insufficient surfactant (e.g., polar lipid) to help spread lipid over the aqueous layer. 2. "Droplets" do not seem to be generated in the inter‐blink interval and it is not obvious how they could be generated by blinks, so their origin may be the "fat droplets" which are observed histologically in meibomian glands (Sirigu et al., 1992, IOVS 33, 2284). It is suggested that meibum is an emulsion of these droplets.