“There is paucity of data on ocular surface variables in healthy children….”
Study: PAY ATTENTION to the diagnosis and treatment of dry eye in children
Junior high meibomian glands and tears....
Not a lot of context here... can't wait to see the full study. But the general idea, of course, that it seems to be all downhill from infancy, as far as the tear system goes.
Cornea. 2017 Aug;36(8):922-926. doi: 10.1097/ICO.0000000000001252.
Mizoguchi T1, Arita R, Fukuoka S, Morishige N.
Abstract
PURPOSE:
We measured tear film parameters, including the morphology and function of meibomian glands, in junior high school students at 15 years of age.
METHODS:
A total of 111 eyes of 111 students (56 males and 55 females) were enrolled in the study. The ocular symptom score (0-14), after-school study time, lipid layer thickness (LLT) of the tear film, partial blink rate, lid margin abnormalities (0-4), tear film breakup time, corneal and conjunctival epithelial damage (fluorescein staining score, 0-9), meiboscore as determined by noncontact meibography (0-6), Schirmer test value, and meibum grade (0-3) were determined. The relationships between parameters were evaluated with the Spearman correlation coefficient (ρ).
RESULTS:
The meiboscore was 2.8 ± 1.2, and the meibum grade was 1.8 ± 1.2. The meiboscore significantly correlated with the meibum grade (ρ = 0.272, P = 0.004), Schirmer test value (ρ = -0.220, P = 0.021), and LLT (ρ = -0.264, P = 0.005). The breakup time significantly correlated with LLT (ρ = 0.261, P = 0.006), meibum grade (ρ = -0.338, P < 0.001), and fluorescein staining score (ρ = -0.214, P = 0.025). The partial blink rate significantly correlated with the Schirmer test value (ρ = -0.240, P = 0.011). The meiboscore (P < 0.001) and meibum grade (P = 0.032) were significantly greater in males than in females.
CONCLUSIONS:
The morphology and function of meibomian glands are altered even at 15 years of age, with the changes being more prominent in males than in females.
"Adolescents with dry eye disease are underserved"
This is a song sheet I can sing from, for sure! We NEVER see dry eye studies about kids!
Participants in this study were Japanese kids aged 10-19. Asians in general, and the Japanese in particular, are known to have higher rates of dry eye than caucasians, and the 21.7% overall prevalence shown in this study is closely similar to the results from another study in a similar age group done ten years ago by one of the participants in the present study - thank you, Dr Ichino!
But I find it very worrying thing is that we actually have nothing to compare these numbers to on this side of the water. We noted this back when the TFOS DEWS II epidemiology team started reviewing existing research way back in 2015 in preparation for the epidemiology report published last year. They can't report on studies that haven't been done!
There are two findings here in the abstracts which, to me, were startling and interesting points that may have relevance for other populations:
The older girls had worse clinical signs than the boys, but reported fewer symptoms than the boys
Dry eye prevalence and severity among late adolescent girls was comparable to adults
Int J Ophthalmol. 2018 Feb 18;11(2):301-307. doi: 10.18240/ijo.2018.02.20. eCollection 2018.
Gender differences in adolescent dry eye disease: a health problem in girls.
Ayaki M1, Kawashima M1, Uchino M1, Tsubota K1, Negishi K1.
Abstract
AIM:
To evaluate the signs and symptoms of dry eye disease (DED) in adolescents.
METHODS:
This was a cross-sectional, case-control study and outpatients aged 10 to 19y were recruited from six eye clinics of various practices and locations in Japan, and 253 non-DED subjects and 70 DED patients were enrolled. Participants were examined for DED-related signs. Patients were also interviewed to ascertain the presence or absence of six common DED-related symptoms: dryness, irritation, pain, eye fatigue, blurring, and photophobia. Main outcome measures were differences in signs and symptoms of dry eye disease between boys and girls.
RESULTS:
Of the 323 adolescents recruited, 70 (21.7%) were diagnosed with DED. Significant differences between the non-DED and DED groups were found for short tear break-up time (BUT; ≤5s; P=0.000) and superficial punctate keratopathy (SPK; staining score ≥3; P=0.000). Late adolescent girls reported fewer symptoms than late adolescent boys, although their DED-related signs were worse compared to other groups. The prevalence and severity of DED were similar in the Tokyo area compared with suburban and local areas but myopic errors were worse.
CONCLUSION:
We find that adolescents reported symptoms of DED similar to those found in adults, and the majority have short BUT-type DED. The prevalence and severity of DED in late adolescent girls is comparable with adults. Adolescents with DED are underserved and we believe that DED is a hidden but potentially serious health problem for this age group.