The present invention provides a method, wherein the method classifies a subject as suffering from dry eye, the method consisting of: a. obtaining demographic data, consisting of the age and gender of the subject; b. obtaining a tear sample from the patient, and determining the level of human serum albumin; c. from the determined level of human serum albumin, assigning a score for the determined amount of human serum albumin; and d. from the assigned score, calculating a cutoff probability score, according to the following equation: $\frac{\exp \left(-0.6491-1.1142*\mathrm{Albumin}\right)}{1+\exp \left(-0.6491-1.1142*\mathrm{Albumin}\right)}$
wherein the subject has dry eye, if the calculated cutoff probability score is from 50% to 60%.

The present invention provides a method, wherein the method classifies a subject as suffering from dry eye, the method consisting of: a. obtaining demographic data, consisting of the age and gender of the subject; b. obtaining a tear sample from the patient, and determining the level of human serum albumin; c. from the determined level of human serum albumin, assigning a score for the determined amount of human serum albumin; and d. from the assigned score, calculating a cutoff probability score, according to the following equation:

[00001]$\frac{\exp \left(-0.6491-1.1142*\mathrm{Albumin}\right)}{1+\exp \left(-0.6491-1.1142*\mathrm{Albumin}\right)}$

wherein the subject has dry eye, if the calculated cutoff probability score is from 50% to 60%.

The present invention provides compositions and methods for identifying subjects suffering from dry eye that can be treated by topical administration of a composition comprising lacritin or a bioactive fragment thereof. The application discloses in part that a ˜90 KDa deglycanated form of syndecan-1 is abundant in tears of normal individuals but not individuals suffering from dry eye, whereas a ˜25 kDa syndecan-1 fragment is detectable in dry, but not normal tears.

Methods and kits are provided for inhibiting inflammasome activation in cells of a subject or an inflammation-affected eye in a subject by administering to the subject a composition including a nucleotide sequence encoding a membrane independent CD59 protein operably linked to a promoter for expression and secretion of the membrane independent CD59 protein in the cells or the inflammation-affected eye, the composition inhibiting inflammasome activation.

A method for changing a condition of an eyelid of a hairless animal, a model animal for evaluating a therapeutic or prophylactic effect against an eyelid disease obtained by the method, a method for producing the model animal, a method of screening using the model animal and a substance having a therapeutic or prophylactic effect against an eyelid disease selected by the method of screening, and a therapeutic or prophylactic agent against an eyelid disease containing the substance as an active ingredient.

A method for visualization of conjunctival cells using fluoroquinolone antibiotics and a method for diagnosis of ocular lesions using the same. The method for visualization of conjunctival cells using fluoroquinolone antibiotics includes staining goblet cells of ocular conjunctiva with moxifloxacin, which is a fluoroquinolone antibiotic, and exciting the stained goblet cells with single photons in the near-UV region or in the visible region, followed by fluorescence photographing of the goblet cells, thereby enabling acquisition of morphological information on living tissue without damage to or destruction of the ocular conjunctiva. Specifically, the method for visualization of conjunctival cells includes: a conjunctiva staining step in which ocular conjunctiva is stained with a fluoroquinolone antibiotic; a light irradiation step in which the ocular conjunctiva stained with the fluoroquinolone antibiotic is irradiated with light from a light source; and a conjunctiva photographing step in which the ocular conjunctiva is photographed using an image pickup unit through the fluoroquinolone antibiotic fluorescence-excited by light in the light irradiation step, wherein, in the conjunctiva staining step, goblet cells of the ocular conjunctiva are stained with the fluoroquinolone antibiotic; in the light irradiation step, the light source emits single photons; and, in the conjunctiva photographing step, the image pickup unit photographing the ocular conjunctiva is a high-magnification fluorescence microscope or a slit lamp microscope.

A method for visualization of conjunctival cells using fluoroquinolone antibiotics and a method for diagnosis of ocular lesions using the same. The method for visualization of conjunctival cells using fluoroquinolone antibiotics includes staining goblet cells of ocular conjunctiva with moxifloxacin, which is a fluoroquinolone antibiotic, and exciting the stained goblet cells with single photons in the near-UV region or in the visible region, followed by fluorescence photographing of the goblet cells, thereby enabling acquisition of morphological information on living tissue without damage to or destruction of the ocular conjunctiva. Specifically, the method for visualization of conjunctival cells includes: a conjunctiva staining step in which ocular conjunctiva is stained with a fluoroquinolone antibiotic; a light irradiation step in which the ocular conjunctiva stained with the fluoroquinolone antibiotic is irradiated with light from a light source; and a conjunctiva photographing step in which the ocular conjunctiva is photographed using an image pickup unit through the fluoroquinolone antibiotic fluorescence-excited by light in the light irradiation step, wherein, in the conjunctiva staining step, goblet cells of the ocular conjunctiva are stained with the fluoroquinolone antibiotic; in the light irradiation step, the light source emits single photons; and, in the conjunctiva photographing step, the image pickup unit photographing the ocular conjunctiva is a high-magnification fluorescence microscope or a slit lamp microscope.

The principal purpose of the present invention is to provide a biomarker that makes it possible to conveniently and accurately assess corneal or conjunctival disease, and can use lacrimal fluid as the sample thereof. In addition, a main object of the present invention is to provide a biomarker that makes it possible to conveniently and accurately evaluate central serous chorioretinopathy. The present invention also provides a diagnostic kit containing a reagent capable of detecting the biomarker, and a diagnosis method that uses the biomarker. It is possible to use mitochondrial DNA included in lacrimal fluid as the biomarker for corneal or conjunctival disease.

The present invention provides compositions and methods for identifying subjects suffering from dry eye that can be treated by topical administration of a composition comprising lacritin or a bioactive fragment thereof. The application discloses in part that a 90 KDa deglycanated form of syndecan-1 is abundant in tears of normal individuals but not individuals suffering from dry eye, whereas a 25 kDa syndecan-1 fragment is detectable in dry, but not normal tears.

The present invention provides a method, wherein the method classifies a subject as suffering from dry eye, the method consisting of: a. obtaining demographic data, consisting of the age and gender of the subject; b. obtaining a tear sample from the patient, and determining the level of human serum albumin; c. from the determined level of human serum albumin, assigning a score for the determined amount of human serum albumin; and d. from the assigned score, calculating a cutoff probability score, according to the following equation:

[00001]$\frac{\exp \left(-0.6491-1.1142*\mathrm{Albumin}\right)}{1+\exp \left(-0.6491-1.1142*\mathrm{Albumin}\right)}$

wherein the subject has dry eye, if the calculated cutoff probability score is from 50% to 60%.