Efficacy of Strip Meniscometry for Detecting Lacrimal Obstructive Diseases Among Patients With Epiphora

PURPOSE: Strip meniscometry (SM) is a new technique for evaluating tear film volume. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the efficacy of SM in detecting lacrimal obstructive diseases (LODs) in patients with epiphora retrospectively. METHODS: One-hundred sixty-six patients (53 men, 113 women; mean age: 72.4 ± 8.0 years) who were referred to Saitama Medical University Hospital with epiphora as their chief complaint were enrolled; finally, 72 patients with and 89 patients without LOD were examined. We assessed tear volume using SM, tear meniscus height (TMH), tear meniscus area (TMA), and Schirmer-1 test values. Patients with LOD underwent lacrimal intubation surgery to treat their epiphora; their SM scores were assessed before and 8 weeks after surgery. RESULTS: SM, TMH, TMA, and Schirmer-1 values were significantly higher in the LOD group (10.80 ± 3.63 mm, 0.49 ± 0.24 mm, 0.06 ± 0.06 mm(2), 18.46 ± 8.00 mm, respectively) than in the non-LOD group (5.44 ± 3.20 mm, 0.30 ± 0.18 mm, 0.03 ± 0.04 mm(2), 11.84 ± 7.16 mm). The area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC) for SM was 0.88, the sensitivity and specificity were 82% and 84%. The AUC was significantly larger for SM than for the Schirmer-1 test and TMA. The SM scores significantly improved after surgery (5.30 ± 2.20 mm) compared with those before (10.69 ± 3.20 mm). CONCLUSIONS: SM was significantly better than the Schirmer-1 test, TMH, and TMA for detecting LOD and evaluating the effect of lacrimal surgery. TRANSLATIONAL RELEVANCE: SM, widely used for dry eye, is also useful for using epiphora.