Study of Relationship Between Dry Eye and Expressions of CXCR3 and CCR5 After Ocular Acid Burn

Objective To investigate the manifestation of dry eye and its relationship with CXCR3 and CCR5 expression in patients with ocular acid burns. Methods This is a case-control study. A total of 27 eyes of 22 cases ocular with acid burns of I-V degrees from Jan.2020 to Feb.2021 in this hospital were selected as observation group, and 8 eyes of 8 cases of normal people were selected as control group. The followed up time was 3 months. The visual acuity, intraocular pressure, BUT, Schirmer Ⅰ test, corneal thickness and tear meniscus height (TMH) were observed at 1 day, 1 and 3 months after injury. The protein expression of CXCR3 and CCR5 were examined by ELISA and were compared among groups at each time point. Results BUT and Schirmer I tests value in the observation group were lower than those in the control group 3 months after injury (all p < 0.05). The corneal thickness and the tear meniscus height 1 day after injury were higher than those in the control group (p < 0.05), and also higher than those at 1 month and 3 months after injury (p < 0.05). The expression levels of CXCR3 and CCR5 protein were significantly negatively correlated with BUT (p < 0.05), and CXCR3 and CCR5 were also significantly negatively correlated with Schirmer I test value (p < 0.05). Conclusion Ocular acid burns can cause dry eye, and the expression of CXCR3 and CCR5 protein in tears may be related to the occurrence of dry eye after ocular acid burn.