Lactoferrin and serum albumin in the conjunctival fluid of eyes operated for senile cataract

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Abstract
The concentrations of serum albumin (SA) in the conjunctival fluid were measured in 25 patients before surgery and in the post-operative period following cataract extraction. We found a significant increase in mean tear fluid SA concentration on the first post-operative day. The SA concentration remained high during the first 3 pre-operative levels. No correlation between the post-operative concentration profile of tear fluid SA and earlier findings of the tear lactoferrin (LF) profile of the same group of patients (Jensen et al. 1985) could be shown, although a trend towards an inverse relationship was apparent from the graphs. Pre-operatively, we found a significant positive correlation between age and concentration of SA in the conjunctival fluid (P < 0.05) which might be interpreted as an increase in leakage from conjunctival vessels with age. This would, at least partly, explain the decreasing LF concentration with age (Jensen et al. 1986; McGill at al. 1984). It is concluded that transudate/exduate from the conjunctival vessels represented by the change in the SA concentration in the conjunctival fluid, might be responsible for an initial post-operatively reduced concentration of LF and possibly other lacrimal gland proteins.