Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Tear-film salt levels in normal cats and cats with eye inflammation
By Davis, Kyshia & Townsend, Wendy·Published in Veterinary ophthalmology·2011·Department of Small Animal Clinical Sciences, United States·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Tear-film osmolarity in normal cats and cats with conjunctivitis.
- Species:
- cat
Plain-English summary
A group of cats with conjunctivitis (an eye condition causing redness and irritation) was compared to normal cats to see if there were differences in their tear film. The study found that while the cats with conjunctivitis had a faster tear film break-up time, their tear film osmolarity (a measure of tear quality) was similar to that of normal cats. This means that conjunctivitis didn't significantly change the tear film's osmolarity. The tests used were well tolerated by the cats, and the findings help understand eye health in cats better.
People also search for: cat conjunctivitis symptoms · cat eye irritation treatment · why is my cat's eye red
Abstract
OBJECTIVE: To compare the tear-film osmolarity of normal cats and cats with conjunctivitis. ANIMAL STUDIED: The population consisted of shelter, research, and privately owned cats. PROCEDURES: Cats were classified as normal or having conjunctivitis. An ophthalmic examination including Schirmer tear test (STT), fluorescein staining, tear-film break-up time (TFBUT), intraocular pressure (IOP), and slit-lamp biomicroscopy of the anterior segment was performed. The severity of conjunctivitis was graded and assigned a numerical score. The Tear Lab(TM) Osmolarity System was utilized to determine the tear-film osmolarity. Unpaired t-tests were used to compare tear-film osmolarity, TFBUT, IOP, and STT of the two groups. RESULTS: A total of 93 cats (186 eyes) were examined. There were 37 normal cats (74 eyes) and 39 conjunctivitis cats (78 eyes). The mean age was 2.34 years. There was no statistical difference (P = 0.2065) between the median tear-film osmolarity of normal cats (328.5 ± 17.94 mOsms/L) and conjunctivitis cats (325.0 ± 24.84 mOsms/L). Cats with conjunctivitis had an accelerated TFBUT (P < 0.0001) and lower IOPs (P < 0.0001) as compared to normal cats. No statistical difference was found between STT values (P = 0.1304). CONCLUSIONS: The median tear-film osmolarity of normal cats was 328.5 mOsms/L. Despite the accelerated TFBUT, conjunctivitis did not cause a statistically significant change in tear-film osmolarity. The Tear Lab(TM) Osmolarity System was easily used and well tolerated by the cats in the study.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/21923824/