The role of instrumental research methods in the diagnosis of burning eye syndrome

Background. The polyetiology of dry eye syndrome requires a whole range of diagnostic measures. In turn, to verify the subtype of dry eye syndrome – burning eye syndrome – it is necessary to record characteristic changes in nerve fibers and the lipid layer of the tear film. This can be done using such methods as laser scanning confocal microscopy, thiascopy and tear osmolarmetry. Aim. To determine the role of instrumental research methods in the diagnosis of burning eye syndrome. Materials and methods. 31 patients (14 men, 17 women) aged 18–45 years were examined, the average age of the subjects was 31 ± 3 years. The patients complained of dryness, burning, discomfort during visual work, and eye pain. The control group was formed from 28 healthy volunteers matched for gender and age. The exclusion criteria from the study were: clinical signs of blepharitis and dysfunction of the meibomian glands, rheumatological (rheumatoid arthritis, systemic lupus erythematosus, Sjogren’s syndrome, scleroderma) and oncological diseases. In addition to a functional ophthalmological examination, all patients underwent laser scanning confocal microscopy of the cornea on an HRT III device with a Cornea Rostock corneal module to assess the condition of the epithelium and nerve fibers of the cornea. Thiascopy was used to assess the lipid layer of the tear film. Results. In the group of patients with burning eye syndrome, the greatest changes in the structure of the nerve fiber were statistically reliably recorded, in comparison with patients with dry eye syndrome and volunteers. The tear osmolarity indicators were close to the results of the control group, no statistically significant difference was recorded between them. According to the results of tiascopy, changes in the lipid layer of the tear film were pronounced: zones with a thickness of more than 0.5 μm and 0.27–0.5 μm averaged 0.04 % and 2.2 %, respectively. Conclusion. The implementation of specialized instrumental methods and the combined assessment of their results play a decisive role in the diagnosis of burning eye syndrome, which allows for the prescription of appropriate treatment.