It is a single-use, disposable test.
A wand with soft fleece on the end will be dabbed along the inside of your lower eyelid.
The healthcare provider will stop between every few dabs to allow you to blink.
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Only six to eight dabs are needed.
After enough sample tears are collected, the wand is placed into a test cassette.
The results are read by the healthcare provider after 10 minutes.
The appearance of a control line indicates the test has been done right.
If a test line appears, the test result is positive.
This means MMP-9 levels are high enough to cause underlying inflammation on the eye’s surface.
Testing for MMP-9 determines if it is elevated and guides dry eye treatment.
The benefits of MMP-9 testing are:
A positive MMP-9 test means there is inflammation in the area.
Still, it doesn’t mean inflammation is necessarily from dry eye.
The inflammation can be from something mechanical, such as rubbing your lid on the eye’s surface.
But, the test can still point the way to getting the right diagnosis.
A false negative may even happen in severe cases, where levels of MMP-9 are significantly raised.
You may be given treatment that doesn’t address eye inflammation.
Legality
The InflammaDry test for MMP-9 received FDA approval in November 2013.
It can be used by a healthcare provider’s office or laboratory certified to do so.
It is not a home test kit.
The kit measures levels of MMP-9 in the tears.
Review of Optometry.Better target dry eye with three easy tests.
2013;131(1):24-8. doi:10.1001/jamaophthalmol.2013.561
Review of Ophthalmology.Putting dry eye to the test.
American Academy of Ophthalmology.Evaluating MMP-9 levels may help diagnose dry eye.
Food and Drug Administration.510 K summary of safety and effectiveness.
2018;7(5):31. doi:10.1167/tvst.7.5.31
