The combination of strip meniscometry and dry eye–related quality-of-life score is useful for dry eye screening during health checkup: Cross-sectional study

Strip meniscometry (SM) is a new method for quantification of tear volume using meniscometry strips inserted into the tear meniscus for 5 seconds. The dry eye (DE)-related quality-of-life score (DEQS) questionnaire comprises 15 questions regarding bothersome ocular symptoms and their impact on daily life. These 2 examinations require a relatively short time and are appropriate as screening tests. We evaluated the sensitivity and specificity of SM and DEQS for screening for DE syndrome during general health checkup. This study included 333 right eyes from 333 soldiers (331 men, 2 women; mean age, 42.8 ± 8.8 years) who underwent health checkups at the Yokosuka Medical Squadron between November and December 2013. We administered the DEQS questionnaire to the subjects. The fluorescein tear film break-up time and fluorescein and rose bengal staining scores were evaluated. A positive outcome was considered when DEQS >15 and SM scores <5 mm. We compared DEQS and SM between a DE group, suspected-DE group and normal group. Thirty-four (11%) soldiers were diagnosed with definite DE based on the Japanese DE diagnostic criteria. The sensitivities of SM, DEQS, and SM combined with DEQS for definite DE were 71%, 79%, and 59%, respectively, whereas the corresponding specificities were 85%, 91%, and 97%, respectively. None of the enrolled subjects experienced complications such as eye pain or discomfort, except for 1 soldier (0.003%) with conjunctivochalasis, who experienced irritation upon SM. The results of our study indicate that the combination of SM and DEQS is useful for the detection of DE with high sensitivity and specificity during routine health check-up.