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	Since this article does not have an abstract, we have provided the first 150 words of the full text and any section headings.

Schiffman et al¹ have recently developed a new method for the evaluation of dry eyes that they hope will be of value when used in future clinical trials. The proposed name is the Ocular Surface Disease Index.

This term, developed by the Outcomes Research Group at Allergan Inc (Irvine, Calif) to assess dry eyes, is overly broad and should be modified. Other diseases that characteristically affect much of the ocular surface, with microbial and allergic origins, would also fall under the proposed index.

In addition, the authors and others² have designated a Schirmer test reading of 6 to 10 mm as indicative of a mild to moderate tear abnormality. The best available data suggest a Schirmer reading of 5.5 mm, without anesthesia, as the most appropriate delineation between normal and abnormal.³ If higher values are used, the validity of the Ocular Surface Disease Index is questionable because of an overestimation . . . [Full Text of this Article]