You should seek the advice of your veterinarian if your pet is ill as only he or she can correctly advise on the diagnosis and recommend the treatment that is most appropriate for your pet.

It is often useful to measure the amount of tear production in an eye, and the Schirmer Tear Test is an easy procedure to perform.

Excessive or decreased tear flow can lead to clinical problems so measurement of tear flow is a useful test -  particularly in suspected cases of keratoconjunctivitis sicca in which tear production is significantly reduced . It is also recommended before administering any local anaesthetic or irritant medication to the surface of the eye .

The test consists of a folded paper strip which is applied to the surface of the eye for 1 minute, then the distance that the water in the tears has spread up the paper is measured against a scale. It measures basal production PLUS that stimulated by the presence of the paper strip on the corneal surface. If it travels to less than mark 10 the animal is not producing enough tears, and if the wetting reaches less than mark 5 the animal has keratoconjunctivitis sicca.. Excessive lachrymation soaks the strip well beyond the 15 mark. Between 10 and 15mm / min is an inconclusive reading. Basal tear production can be measured by applying local anaesthetic prior to performing the test. 

Last updated : January 2016