Objective: To evaluate the association between corneal sensitivity (CS) as measured by a non-contact Brill Engines esthesiometer, vision-related quality of life and ocular surface symptoms in patients with Parkinson’s disease (PwP)

Background: Parkinson’s disease (PD) is a neurodegenerative disorder with motor and non-motor symptoms, including ocular surface dysfunction linked to reduced corneal sensitivity and small nerve fiber involvement. Peripheral nerve degeneration and blink abnormalities such as reduced blink rates and incomplete closure, exacerbate tear film instability and dry eye symptoms, affecting patients’ quality of life

Method: A prospective and observational study. Disease severity was assessed using the Hoehn & Yahr (HY) scale. Corneal mechanical sensitivity was assessed using the Brill Engines Esthesiometer, a non-contact esthesiometer utilizing air-jet stimulation. Visual quality of life was evaluated using the 25-item National Eye Institute Vision Functioning Questionnaire (NEI-VFQ) and dry eye symptoms with the Ocular Surface Disease Index (OSDI). Associations between CS, NEI-VFQ, and OSDI scores were analyzed using Pearson’s correlation test

Results: A total of 70 patients (140 eyes) were included, with a mean age of 61.03 ± 11.13 years, and 54.1% were male.  The mean HY score was 1.75 ± 0.74. The mean CS was 6.41 ± 1.95 mBar, the mean NEI-VFQ score was 74.22 ± 8.61, and the mean OSDI score was 22.03 ± 19.05. CS was significantly associated with the NEI-VFQ score (r = 0.438, p < 0.001) but not with the OSDI score (r = 0.026, p = 0.762). Additionally, the NEI-VFQ score correlated with the OSDI score (r = 0.507, p < 0.001). CS demonstrated a positive correlation with the general vision, near vision, distance vision, and peripheral vision sub-scores while exhibiting a negative correlation with the role function sub-score of the NEI-VFQ (p < 0.05).

Conclusion: Corneal sensitivity measured with a non-contact esthesiometer correlates with visual quality-of-life metrics but does not appear to reflect ocular surface symptoms in PwP directly. The association between NEI-VFQ and OSDI scores suggests a link between visual function and subjective ocular surface complaints. These findings highlight the potential utility of CS measurements as a complement to visual quality-of-life assessments in this population

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MDS Abstracts - https://www.mdsabstracts.org/abstract/association-between-corneal-sensitivity-with-vision-related-quality-of-life-and-ocular-surface-symptoms-in-parkinsons-disease/