African Vision and Eye Health (Dec 2013)
Repeatability and reproducibility of Tearlab measurements
Abstract
It is well established that the diagnosis of dry eye is difficult. Tear osmolarity is considered by some to be the only metric of dry eye that is repeatable with some claiming that osmolarity is the best diagnostic metric for dry eye. A recently developed system, the Tearlab osmolarity system, is now available that can give a measure of tear osmolarity in less than 60 seconds. It is important that any new instrument be evaluated for its repeatability and reproducibility. The aim of this study was to investigate the repeatability and reproducibility of the Tearlab system by taking multiple, successive measurements of osmolarity of a manufacturer supplied calibration/test solution. The results of this investigation show that the Tearlab osmolarity system provides reasonably accurate, repeatable and reproducible measurements of tear osmolarity. (S Afr Optom 2013 72(1) 19-24)
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