What are the normal Schirmer test values for healthy humans compared with humans with EDED?

• A. 27.5 mm/5 mins for healthy; 20.5 mm/5 mins for EDED
• B. 20.5 mm/5 mins for healthy; 27.5 mm/5 mins for EDED
• C. 22.8 mm/min for healthy; 22.7 mm/min for EDED
• D. 15 mm/5 mins for healthy; 10 mm/5 mins for EDED

Answer: (A)

Schirmer tear test assesses how much aqueous tear is produced over five minutes. In healthy individuals, tear production is robust, so the score tends to be in the higher end of the normal range. Evaporative dry eye disease often features impaired tear production or reduced lacrimal output as part of the disease process, leading to a lower score than in healthy eyes. Therefore, the best choice reflects a higher value for healthy individuals and a lower value for those with evaporative dry eye disease, which aligns with how tear production changes in these conditions. The other options either reverse the relationship or use measurements that don’t fit how the test is reported.