Validation of a Newly Developed Liquid Jet Aesthesiometer

Overview

A new liquid jet aesthesiometer prototype was developed with the aim to measure ocular surface sensitivity by employing a liquid jet. This study aims to validate this new prototype by means of correlating its measurement with a previously validated air jet aesthesiometer, the non-contact aesthesiometer (NCCA; by Murphy et al. 1996) and by exploring the repeatability of ocular surface sensitivity measurement.

Currently, no aesthesiometer is available that delivers reliable and repeatable measurement of ocular surface sensitivity in a routine clinical setup. The only commercially available Cochet- Bonnet aesthesiometer uses a tactile-mechanical stimulus (the tip of a nylon thread), which can cause a microerosion when applied to the corneal surface. Additional disadvantages represent poor stimulus reproducibility, a limited stimulus bandwidth and the influence of humidity and age on the bending capibility of the nylon thread. For research purposes prototypes of non-contact air aesthesiometers (eg by Murphy et al. and Belmonte et al) are being used. This study aims to correlate ocular surface sensitivity measurements of a newly developed prototype, the liquid jet aesthesiometer, with the non-contact air jet aesthesiometer by Murphy et al. 1996 and to explore its repeatability of measurement. In this repeated measures design 60 subjects participate in corneal sensitivity measurements during two appointments with each described aesthesiometer.

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Outcomes