What is TearLab?

TearLab measures tear osmolarity for patients in the office.

What is tear osmolarity and how does it pertain to me?

Tear osmolarity is thought to be one of the key driving forces causing damage to ocular tissues in dry eye patients. Osmolarity is the measure of the amount of solute (i.e. salts, proteins, etc) in solution (the tears). Dry eye patients have more salts and other items in their tears, and thus have a higher osmolarity reading.

What type of patients typically undergo osmolarity testing?

Dry eye Disease is very common amongst the general population. Many symptoms, including, dryness, burning, itching, redness, fluctuating vision, and tearing, may indicate either an unstable tear film or dry eye. The likelihood of having a dry eye increases with age. Many different types of eye surgeries are associated with dry eye, including excimer laser surgery, cataract surgery, and corneal transplant. Reducing dry eye symptoms has been show to improve visual outcomes after surgery so it is important to address any dry eye before surgery.

What is involved in the testing process?

A very small sample of your tears (50 nanoliters) will be collected onto an electronic chip. The entire volume of tears collected is smaller than the period at the end of this sentence. The chip is processed in our clinic to determine the osmolarity reading immediately. Under ideal conditions, no eyedrops should be placed into the eye for 2 hours prior to the test. There is very little, if any, discomfort during testing and testing typically can be completed in a matter of seconds.