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Allergic eye problems should be easier to diagnose thanks to a test strip
developed by Adiatec of Nantes, France. The strip contains antibodies that turn
red when they bind with immunoglobulin E, a marker for allergic conjunctivitis
that can be found in tears. To test for allergy, one end of the strip is touched
against the eye where it absorbs tears. A red line implies a positive result.
“If we know it’s allergic conjunctivitis, we can go straight to a specific
treatment,” says John Dart of Moorfields Eye Hospital in London. “At the moment,
we have to take a smear and send it to a lab.”