A 69-year-old female presented with symptoms of dry eyes and dry mouth. She is a diagnosed case of Rheumatoid arthritis. Schirmer`s tear test is done for diagnostic purpose. For which of the following disease, Schirmer’s test is done?
- A. Glaucoma
- B. Sjogren’s syndrome
- C. Cataract
- D. SLE
- E. Systemic sclerosis
0 voters
Answer: B
Description: Sjogren syndrome is a chronic autoimmune disease that mainly affects middle-aged females and primarily attacks salivary and lacrimal glands resulting in dry eyes and dry mouth. The severity of dryness in eyes are tested by conductinf Schirmer`s test.
Study Notes:
What is a Schirmer`s test?
It is a test used to determine that whether a person`s eye producing enough tears or not to keep his eye moist and healthy
Why Schirmer`s test is performed?
Schirmer`s test is performed to determine the severity of dryness of eyes. It may b used to diagnose Sjogren syndrome
which is an autoimmune disease characterized by dry eyes and dry mouth.
How the Schirmer`s test is performed?
Schirmer`s test is performed by the doctor by keeping a filter paper inside your lower eyelids of both eyes and asking you to close your eyes for 5 minutes.
After 5 minutes, the doctor removes this filter paper and asses how far the tears have travelled on filter paper.
What are the Results?
-
10 mm of tears on paper is considered to be normal
- < 10mm of tears on paper is considered to be abnormal
- < 5mm of tears on paper are considered to be Severe dry eyes
What are the other causes of dry Eyes?
Dryness of eyes can be because of multiple reasons:
- Eye infections
- Sjogren`s syndrome
- Vitamin A deficiency
- Arthritis
- Ageing
What are the symptoms of dry Eyes?
Symptoms of dry eyes includes the following:
- Eye pain
- Persistent tearing
- Discomfort feeling in eyes
- Eye irritation
- Sensitivity to eye increases