Our Kentucky dry eye specialists use the Schirmer’s test as a testing method evaluating the amount of tear produced for people needing dry eye treatment. If you have been diagnosed with dry eyes at our practice this test is used to determine the severity of the dry eye syndrome. This helps our physicians develop an accurate treatment protocol.
Filter paper is inserted into the eye for several minutes and it absorbs the tears produced from the eye. The results of the test are seen by how far the moisture travels on the filter paper.
The Schirmer’s test has been reported to be extremely uncomfortable and sometimes traumatic (the paper is inserted inside the lower eyelid), especially seeing as people needing dry eye relief are already experiencing pain and inflammation in that exact region. Just as with vision, it is possible for one eye to see better than the other – it is also possible that one eye secretes more tears than the other. However, results also show that some people’s eyes secrete the same amount of tears. Both results are normal.