Tell-tale tears: Decoding the clues
The TFOS DEWS III report encourages personalised dry eye management recommendations tailored to individual patient needs. This interactive session will explore how identifying key tear film biomarkers, specifically IgE, MMP-9, and lymphotoxin-α (LTA) can transform our approach to diagnosing and managing ocular surface disease.
- Attendees will understand the role of tear film biomarkers in ocular surface health.
- Attendees will be able to interpret clinical relevance of tear film biomarkers in diagnosing and managing allergic eye disease, dry eye, and inflammatory conditions.
Stapleton, F., Argüeso, P., Asbell, P., Azar, D., Bosworth, C., Chen, W., Ciolino, J.B., Craig, J.P., Gallar, J., Galor, A. and Gomes, J.A., 2025. TFOS DEWS III: Digest. American Journal of Ophthalmology, 279, pp.451-553. Hagan, S, Martin, E & Enriquez-de-Salamanca, A 2016, 'Tear fluid biomarkers in ocular and systemic disease: potential use for predictive, preventive and personalised medicine', EPMA Journal, vol. 7, no. 1, 15, pp. 15-34. https://doi.org/10.1186/s13167-016-0065-3 Thomas, R., Azizoglu, S., Suphioglu, C., Mikhail, E. and Gokhale, M., 2025. Exploring the Diagnostic Utility of Tear IgE and Lid Wiper Epitheliopathy in Ocular Allergy Among Individuals with Hay Fever. International Journal of Molecular Sciences, 26(18), p.9116. Qu, Z., Pazo, E.E., Yang, L., Chen, J., Qin, G. and He, W., 2025. Tear matrix metalloproteinases-9 and ocular surface parameters in diabetics: a cross-sectional study in Shenyang, China. BMJ open, 15(1), p.e087530. Huang, J.F., Li, H., Li, L., Xiao, A.Y., Liao, C. and Li, Y., 2023. Significantly reduced level of lymphotoxin-alpha (LTA) in tears from dry eye patients with Sjogren’s syndrome or other systemic immune disease detected with a Point-of-Care LTA test. Investigative Ophthalmology & Visual Science, 64(8), pp.3946-3946. Li, C.R., 2023. Role of lymphotoxin alpha as a new molecular biomarker in revolutionizing tear diagnostic testing for dry eye disease. International Journal of Ophthalmology, 16(11), p.1883. Bao, J., Tian, L., Meng, Y., Wu, B., Wang, J., He, J., Shao, Q., Wang, C., Jie, Y. and Zhang, L., 2022. Total IgE in tears accurately reflects the severity and predicts the prognosis of seasonal allergic conjunctivitis. Clinical and Translational Allergy, 12(3), p.e12139.

