Dry eye (DE) syndrome, or keratoconjunctivis sicca, is an autoimmune disorder of the ocular surface that affects more than 35% of the population, and most frequently the female gender. The dry eye is present all over the world: there are about 350 million people suffering from it in the Western market (Europe, Australia, the Americas) and as many in Asia and Africa, for a total of over 700 million patients in increase of over 6-7% per year. It consists of qualitative and quantitative alteration of the tear film, whose main function is lubrification, nutrition, optical transparency, cleanliness, and as the main defence to bacterial infections, both corneal and conjunctival. The most common symptoms of the disease are burning, foreign body sensation, photophobia, itching, stinging, irritation, redness, blepharospasm, difficulty in opening eyelids on awakening, and, in severe cases, pain and blurred vision. If left untreated, this condition can lead to pain, ulcers, scars on the cornea, and some loss of vision. Dry eye can make it more difficult to perform some activities, such as using a computer or reading for an extended period, and it can decrease tolerance for dry environments, such as the air inside an airplane. The prevalence of patient-diagnosed dry eye syndrome ranges from 14% to 33%. Similarly, the prevalence of clinician-diagnosed dry eye ranges from 1% to 22%. Published epidemiological data on dry eye syndrome in France, Germany, Italy, Spain, Sweden, and the UK shows that approximately 70% of sufferers were female in all six countries, except Germany (58% of sufferers). In Germany, Italy, Sweden, and the UK, the ophthalmologists estimated that over half their patients were between 46 and 65 years of age, whereas in France and Spain over 40% of patients were >65 years of age.
Me-Check overcomes the limitations shown by traditional methods and delivers tangible and direct benefits to its end-users: It allows to do a complete automatic and objective screening: in 3 minutes it is possible to define if the patient has the dry eye. It allows to reach a specific result, indeed the device gives two fundamental indications: 1. Meibomian gloss disfunction level and 2. The eye dry gravity level. The device does not require specific skills of dry eye pathology indeed the property software indicates the pathology level. This method can be used by the ophthalmologists for their routine examination. It is a very easy to use method: it can be used on customer slot lamp, with freehand or with dedicated station.
