The  severity of ocular surface staining  that occurs due to pathological epithelial alterations is typically determined according to the   amount   of stained cells. The  location  also appears to have some significance because nasal staining (top image) is typically mild and unspecific, whereas temporal staining (bottom image), i.e. in a location where the fresh tears pour out of the excretory lacrimal ducts into the conjunctival sac, typically indicates a more severe condition and is somewhat specific for Dry Eye Disease (Schematic drawings according to observations of  UCHIYAMA and colleagues 2009 ).
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