Dry eye is a common problem. It is now understood to be multifactorial, and the management needs to be tailored to fit the individual patient.

Tear film breakup is probably the most indicative test for dry eye, as it does not cause reflex tearing as the Schirmer test does. If only one test could be performed to diagnose dry eye, tear film breakup would be the one.

This novel device has been commissioned by the Universiy of Auckland, for research into tear film dynamics. It provides magnified imaging of the tear film for accurate minimally invasive tear film break up timing, and infrared meibomian gland imaging in vivo. This two-in-one device therefore can give an indication of the degree of physiological tear stability, and at the flick of a switch, imaging of the oil-producing glands of the lid is possible (meibomian glands).