Brien Holden Institute develops software to assess epithelial cell damage

Sydney, Australia-The Brien Holden Institute recently announced it had developed a software program that can automatically assess damage to epithelial cells at the upper eyelid margin.

The Institute has not released details on how the software works. It was developed as part of a PhD thesis and is not intended for commercial use, but will be published in due course, according to the Institute. According to the institute, the software is intended to make up for the inconsistency between clinicians when it comes to grading cell damage using lissamine green staining.

Q&A: Brien Holden

“The software will contribute to better understanding of cell damage at the lid wiper region,” says Carolina Kunnen, the PhD candidate with the Brien Holden Institute who developed the software. “This research will extend knowledge of the influence of the eyelid margin on dry eye and contact lens wear, and hopefully lead to improving care for dry eye patients across the world.”