Ocular Microbiology and Immunology Group
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2026 OMIG Abstract

POSTER PRESENTATION


Somatosensory Profiles of Neuropathic/Nociplastic Ocular Pain and Sjögren's Disease

Sakina Qazi^1,2, Chloe Shields^1,2, David Valdes Arias^1,2, Nicholas J. Pondelis³, Amanda Dynak³,
Scott Holmes³, Deborah S. Jacobs⁴, Joseph B. Ciolino⁴, Eric A. Moulton^3,5, Anat Galor^1,2,
and Elizabeth R. Felix^2,6

¹Bascom Palmer Eye Institute, University of Miami, Miami, Florida; ²Surgical and Research Services, Miami Veterans Administration Medical Center, Miami, Florida; ³Brain and Eye Pain Imaging Lab, Pain and Affective Neuroscience Center, Boston Children's Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts; ⁴Cornea and Refractive Surgery Service, Massachusetts Eye and Ear, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts; ⁵Department of Ophthalmology, Boston Children's Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts; ⁶Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, University of Miami, Miami, Florida

Purpose: To compare evoked pain sensitivity and aftersensations (AS) across controls and chronic ocular pain (COP) sub-types (neuropathic/nociplastic ocular pain (NOP) and Sjögren's disease (SjD)).

Methods: Cross-sectional study of 124 individuals (controls: 45+16 yrs, 43.1% male; NOP: 49+16 yrs, 43.5% male; SjD: 48+14 yrs, 10% male). Participants underwent quantitative sensory testing with a heat protocol at 3 body sites (forearm, forehead, eyelid) and a cold protocol at 3 temperatures (20°C, 5°C, 0°C) on the eyelid only. Pain intensity and unpleasantness ratings (0-100) and AS (15 and 30sec) were recorded. Linear mixed-effects models and logistic regression examined outcomes.

Results: Pain intensity ratings at heat pain threshold were higher in NOP (37.57+2.09, p=0.01) and SjD (42.42+3.12, p<0.001) than controls (28.59+1.84), as were unpleasantness ratings (NOP: 40.62+2.22; SjD: 49.49+3.31; controls: 31.79+1.95; p<0.05 for both). Cold pain intensity ratings were higher in NOP (20.56+3.15, p=0.01) and SjD (30.38+4.93, p<0.001) than controls (7.71+2.73), as were unpleasantness ratings (NOP 25.28+1.25; SjD 35.51+1.97; controls 12.37+1.08, p<0.001 for all). Some differences were noted between COP sub-types. NOP was more likely than controls to report painful AS 15sec after heat stimulation (OR=4.57, 95% CI [1.43, 14.64], p = 0.01) but SjD were not more likely than controls to report heat AS. However, SjD was more likely than controls to report painful AS 15sec after cold stimulation (OR = 5.04, 95% CI [1.49, 17.07], p = 0.01), but NOP were not more likely than controls to report cold AS.

Conclusions: Heat and cold-evoked pain sensitivity was increased compared to controls in both neuropathic/nociplastic and Sjögren's groups, while the COP subgroups demonstrated distinct AS patterns, suggesting that pain processing in COP may differ mechanistically between sub-types.