Progress of Bulbar Conjunctival Microcirculation Alterations in the Diagnosis of Ocular Diseases

Abstract

Bulbar conjunctival microcirculation is a microvascular system distributed in the translucent bulbar conjunctiva near the corneal limbus. Multiple ocular diseases lead to bulbar conjunctival microcirculation alterations, which means that bulbar conjunctival microcirculation alterations would be potential screening and diagnostic indicators for these ocular diseases. In recent years, with the emergence and application of a variety of noninvasive observation devices for bulbar conjunctiva microcirculation and new image processing technologies, studies that explored the potential of bulbar conjunctival microcirculation alterations in the diagnosis of ocular diseases have been emerging. However, the potential of bulbar conjunctival microcirculation alterations as indicators for ocular diseases has not been exploited to full advantage. The observation devices, image processing methods, and algorithms are not unified. And large-scale research is needed to concrete bulbar conjunctival microcirculation alterations as indicators for ocular diseases. In this paper, we provide an update on the progress of bulbar conjunctival microcirculation alterations in the diagnosis of ocular diseases in recent five years (from January 2017 to March 2022). Relevant ocular diseases include contact lens wearing, dry eye, conjunctival malignant melanoma, conjunctival nevus, and diabetic retinopathy.