POTENTIAL APPLICATIONS OF OCULAR THERMOGRAPHY

Thermography is an investigative technique which allows rapid color-co ded display of the temperature across a wide surface by means of infra red detection. We describe an ocular thermographic study of a normal p opulation and present case studies describing the application of this technique for patients with ocular disease. We found that 95% of the n ormal population have an interocular temperature difference (temperatu re of center of right cornea minus temperature of center of left corne a) of 0.60-degrees-C or less. There appears to be a greater difference in temperature between the limbus and the center of the cornea in pat ients with dry eyes. This technique has potential for evaluating tear film disorders and inflammatory conditions, for monitoring the progres s of such conditions, and for evaluating the efficacy of various treat ments.