Dry eye testing and SPK

In office testing by a qualified Optometrist or Ophthalmologist is critical to diagnosing your dry eye condition. Several tests are performed to rule out other eye related problems as well as quantify the level of dry eye present. One of the most common tests is to apply a dye, called flourescein, to the tears to evaluate the quality of tears and health of he cornea. Flourescein dye marks areas of the cornea that have been damaged due to the dryness. These areas are called Superficial Punctate Keratitis (SPK) and usually appear as small dots made visible from the dye so they appear yellow/green. The location on the cornea as well as the quantity of SPK help the doctor to determine the likely cause and severity of your dry eye. Armed with this knowledge your doctor can prescribe the type of treatment best suited for you.

In this image notice the small and medium sized green spots on the surface of the cornea. In this example they are located randomly over the entire surface.

The presence of SPK indicates that you likely have more than just a mild case of dry eye. T'here are nearly 50 dry eye treatments discussed in the ebook available at dryeyeknowledge.com. You will likely need to have multiple types of treatment to control your dry eye.