Vet Tips

Dry Eye
04/17/2008

One of the most overlooked superficial corneal diseases is dry eye. If the Schirmer tear test is below 10mm/minute, you need to begin therapy. This type may be temporary and be responsive to temporary therapy. However, if the Schirmer is below 5 mm/minute, the condition will most likely have to be treated for the rest of the patient's life. This needs to be explained to the owner. Tacrolimus has been proven very beneficial at 0.02% ocular solution. This can be compounded by many pharmacies. It is used initially TID and decreased as needed by follow-up evaluation. Artificial tears may also be used in adition to the Tacrolimus until the tear flow has increased sufficiently.

Submitted by:
Dr. Milton Wyman, Diplomate ACVO
Columbus, Ohio