Abstract / Summary
Background: Imbalance between reactive oxygen species production and antioxidant capacity has a potential role in the development of Myopia. Superoxide dismutase (SOD) is one of the main antioxidant systems which catalyze the rapid dismutation of superoxide radical to hydrogen peroxide and oxygen. Uric acid is a powerful scavenger of singlet oxygen, peroxyl, and hydroxyl radicals. Elevated lactate levels are a significant risk of morbidity. Aims and Objectives: The aims and objectives of the study are to estimate and study the SOD, uric acid, and lactate levels in tears in patients of various degrees of myopia. Materials and Methods: Twenty-five patients each with low, medium, and high myopia and age- and sex-matched healthy controls were enrolled. SOD, uric acid, and lactate levels were estimated in tear samples by enzymatic methods on an auto analyzer. Independent Student’s t-test was used to determine the significance between myopia and controls. Results: The results of this study were significant (P<0.05): SOD and uric acid levels were decreased and lactate levels were high in myopia patients as compared to controls. The changes in the level of these biomarkers in tears were inversely proportional in the case of SOD and uric acid, whereas directly proportional to the degrees of myopia for lactate. Conclusion: Tear SOD, uric acid, and lactate levels can be used as a noninvasive method to study oxidative stress in ocular disorders. Further studies with more oxidative markers in tears can be compared with blood values in larger groups of patients with long-term follow-up to validate the finding.