Abstract
Purpose Tear IgE has been considered to play an important role in allergic conjunctivitis and the measurement of tear IgE concentrations can help to diagnose this condition. Locally produced IgE levels have been shown to be the largest contributor to the severity of allergic conjunctivitis.
Methods One hundred and thirteen allergic conjunctivitis patients (70 seasonal allergic conjunctivitis (SAC), 21 perennial allergic conjunctivitis (PAC), 22 vernal keratoconjunctivitis (VKC)), 14 bacterial conjunctivitis (BC) patients, 13 epidemic keratoconjunctivitis (EKC) patients and 18 normal controls were recruited. Tear samples were collected using the microcapillary method and tear IgE levels were measured using an immunoenzyme assay.
Results Tear IgE concentrations showed significant increases in the VKC (322.2 ± 45.7 ng/ml), SAC (194.7 ± 21.7 ng/ml) and PAC (134.8 ± 23.1 ng/ml) groups when compared with controls (52.1 ± 9.7 ng/ml, p > 0.01). No significant difference was found between EKC (97.2 ± 11.7 ng/ml) and BC (92.6 ± 13.8 ng/ml) groups and controls (p = 0.1).
Conclusions Tear IgE concentrations showed a significant increase in allergic conjunctivitis patients when compared with controls. Our results suggest that measuring tear IgE concentrations can help to diagnose allergic conjunctivitis.
Similar content being viewed by others
Article PDF
References
Liotet S, Warnet VN, Arrata M . Lacrimal immunoglobulin E and allergic conjunctivitis. Ophthalmologica 1983;186:31–4.
Donshik PC, Ehlers WH . Clinical immunologic diseases. Boston: Little Brown, 1994:347–64.
Allansmith MR, Ross RN . Ocular allergy. Clin Allergy 1988;18:1–13.
Friedlaender MH, Okumoto M, Kelly J . Diagnosis of allergic conjunctivitis. Arch Ophthalmol 1984;102:1198–9.
Allansmith MR, Greiner JV, Baird RS . Number of inflammatory cells in the normal conjunctiva. Am J Ophthalmol 1978;86:250–9.
Trocme SD, Aldave AJ . The eye and the eosinophil. Surv Ophthalmol 1994;39:241–52.
Thygeson P . The cytology of conjunctival exudates. Am J Ophthalmol 1946;29:1499–512.
Theodore FH . The significance of conjunctival eosinophilia in the diagnosis of allergic conjunctivitis. Eye Ear Nose Throat Monthly 1951;30:653–6.
Bonini S, Bonini S, Berruto A, Tomassini M, Carlesimo S, Bucci MG, Balsano F . Conjunctival provocation test as a model for the study of allergy and inflammation in humans. Int Arch Allergy Appl Immunol 1989;88:144–8.
Abelson MB, Madiwale N, Weston JH . Conjunctival eosinophils in allergic ocular disease. Arch Ophthalmol 1983;101:555–6.
Abelson MB, Udell IJ, Weston JH . Conjunctival eosinophils in compound 48 / 80 rabbit model. Arch Ophthalmol 1983;101:631–3.
Abelson MB, Chambers WA, Smith LM . Conjunctival allergen challenge. Arch Ophthalmol 1990;108:84–8.
Montan PG . Biberfeld PJ, Scheynius A . IgE, IgE receptors, and other immunocytochemical markers in atopic and nonatopic patients with vernal keratoconjunctivitis. Ophthalmology 1995;102:725–32.
Brauninger GE, Centifanto YM . Immunoglobulin E in human tears. Am J Ophthalmol 1971;72:558–61.
Kari O, Salo O, Bjorksten F, Backman A . Allergic conjunctivitis, total and specific IgE in the tear fluid. Acta Ophthalmol (Copenh) 1985;63:97–9.
Deenstra VA, Kok PTM, Bruynzeel PLB . Measurement of total IgE antibody levels in lacrimal fluid of patients suffering from atopic and non-atopic eye disorders: evidence for local IgE production in atopic eye disorders? Br J Ophthalmol 1985;69:380–4.
Insler MS, Lim JM, Queng JT, Wanissorn C, McGovern JP . Tear and serum IgE concentrations by tandem-R IgE immunoradiometric assay in allergic patients. Ophthalmology 1987;94:945–8.
Allansmith MR, Hahn GS, Simon MA . Tissue, tear, and serum IgE concentrations in vernal conjunctivitis. Am J Ophthalmol 1976;81:506–11.
McClellan BH, Whitney CR, Newman LP, Allansmith MR . Immunoglobulins in tears. Am J Ophthalmol 1973;76:89–101.
Yuasa T, Hiyama F, Nishi M, Hori T, Mimura Y . Local and circulating immunoglobulins in vernal conjunctivitis. 1. Immunoglobulin-containing cells in the conjunctiva. Ringan 1977;31:483–7.
Gauchat JF, Henchoz S, Mazzei G, Aubry JP, Brunner T, Blasey H, et al. Induction of human IgE synthesis in B cells by mast cells and basophils. Nature 1993;365:340–3.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Nomura, K., Takamura, E. Tear IgE concentrations in allergic conjunctivitis. Eye 12, 296–298 (1998). https://doi.org/10.1038/eye.1998.68
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/eye.1998.68
Keywords
This article is cited by
-
Mass spectrometry analysis of human tear fluid biomarkers specific for ocular and systemic diseases in the context of 3P medicine
EPMA Journal (2021)
-
Total IgE and eotaxin (CCL11) contents in tears of patients suffering from seasonal allergic conjunctivitis
Graefe's Archive for Clinical and Experimental Ophthalmology (2014)