A study to assess the efficacy of topical cyclosporine A 0.05% in the management of dry eye with meibomiam gland dysfunction

: Dry eye is a multifactorial disease of the tears and ocular surface that results in symptoms of discomfort, visual disturbance, and tear film instability with potential damage to the ocular surface. It is accompanied by increased osmolarity of the tear film and inflammation of the ocular surface. Meibomian Gland Dysfunction (MGD) is an abnormality of the meibomian gland that blocks the secretion of lipids. Without sufficient lipid production, tears evaporate quickly causing Dry Eye.MGD is associated with multiple pathological mechanisms including inflammation, microbial factors and lipid deficiencies. Topical Cyclosporine A (CsA) 0.05% is a calcineurin inhibitor that reduces inflammation by specifically inhibiting T‑cell activity, which reduces ocular surface inflammation and improves tear film dynamics. This was a prospective observational study done on 100 patients at the Department of Ophthalmology Basaveshwar teaching and general hospital, on patients of dry eyes due to meibomian gland dysfunction. Patients who were diagnosed with dry eyes due to meibomian gland dysfunction were invited to take part in the study. Patients were divided randomly into two groups of 50 patients each. This study, was explained in detail to them. An informed consent was obtained. Patients fulfilling the inclusion criteria were listed.All OSDI scores (symptom intensity, frequency and aggravation) revealed decreasing patterns throughout the observation period in both the groups. In single analysis, the cyclosporine A 0.05% group showed a significant improvement for each score at 3 months (p < 0.01, p = 0.01, p = 0.02, respectively). The mean TBUT after treatment in the group A (cyclosporine A group) increased to 12.36± 3.58(p<0.001) seconds, and in the group B (Control group) the TBUT score increased to 11.01±3.06 seconds. After 3 Months, there was statistically significant improvement in the mean Schirmer’s scores in both the treatment groups, however improvement was significantly greater in Cyclosporine A group. Prior to the treatment in group A (Cyclosporine A) mean Lissamine staining score was 2.73±0.15 and post treatment it reduced to 1.32±0.15 which was statistically significant (P<0.001). In group B (Control group) score before treatment was 2.46±0.15 and after treatment it reduced to 2.39±0.27 (p=0.11), not much difference was seen. : Findings from our study showed that there were significant improvements in the dry eye conditions due to defect in meibomian gland by treatment of topical Cyclosporine A 0.05% and sodium hyaluronate 0.1%.

Benefits and Safety of Astaxanthin in the Treatment of Mild-To-Moderate Dry Eye Disease

Objectives: To evaluate the effect of astaxanthin in the treatment of mild-to-moderate dry eye disease (DED) in middle-aged and elderly patients.Methods: 120 eyes of 60 middle-aged and elderly patients with mild-to-moderate DED were enrolled in this prospective, one-group, quasi-experimental study. Six milligram Astaxanthin tablets (Weihong Haematococcus Pluvialis Astaxanthin, Hangzhou Xinwei Low Carbon Technology R&D Co., Ltd., China) were administered orally, twice daily for 30 ± 2 days. History of eye diseases, treatment, systemic disease, and medication before the test were recorded. In addition, the ocular surface disease index (OSDI) questionnaire, non-invasive tear break-up time (NIBUT), fluorescein break-up time (FBUT), corneal fluorescein staining (CFS) score, eyelid margin signs, meibomian gland (MG) expressibility, meibum quality, meibomian gland dropout (MGDR), Schirmer I test (SIt), tear meniscus height (TMH), bulbar conjunctiva congestion degree, blink frequency, incomplete blink rate, and thickness of tear film lipid layer were collected before treatment, 2 weeks after the initiation of treatment, and at the end of treatment. Visual acuity (VA), intraocular pressure (IOP), anterior segment, fundus, discomfort symptoms and other adverse reactions were also monitored throughout the study to assess the safety.Results: OSDI score, NIBUT, BUT, CFS score, eyelid margin signs, MG expressibility, meibum quality, and blink frequency improved significantly to varying degrees after treatment compared with those before the treatment (P < 0.05), while TMH, SIt, conjunctival congestion, the thickness of tear film lipid layer, MGDR, incomplete blink rate, VA and IOP did not differ (P > 0.05).Conclusions: Oral administration of astaxanthin improves the symptoms and signs of middle-aged and elderly patients with mild-to-moderate DED.

Intense Pulsed Light Combined With Meibomian Gland Massage for Recurrent Corneal Erosion: a Review of Clinical Effectiveness

Purpose: To observe the therapeutic effect on recurrent corneal erosion syndrome (RCES) by intense pulsed light (IPL) combined with meibomian gland massage. Methods: We recruited 30 patients (30 eyes) with RCES as the RCES group and 31 patients (31 eyes) as the control group. Both the groups received eyelash sampling, Demodex count, meibomian gland infrared photography, and the blepharolipin score. The RCES group was divided into the treatment group and the observation group again. Results: Parameters in the RCES group were higher than those in the control group. The parameters of the treatment group were decreased compared with the observation group. During the follow-up period, one patient in the treatment group relapsed. Conclusion: Meibomian gland dysfunction and Demodex infection may be associated with RCES. IPL combined with meibomian gland massage can significantly improve meibomian gland function, reduce the number of Demodex, and effectively control the relapse of RCES.

Surface Chemistry Study of the Interactions of Sesame Oil with Meibomian Films

A possible approach for the treatment of meibomian gland disease (MGD) can be the supplementation of meibomian gland secretion (MGS) with nonpolar lipids (NPL) rich plant oils. Sesame oil (SO), approximately equal in monounsaturated fat (oleic acid, 40% of total) and polyunsaturated fat (linoleic acid, 42% of total), has shown multiple health benefits due to its anti-inflammatory and antioxidant effects. Thus, the interactions between SO and MGS in surface layers deserve further study. Therefore, pseudobinary films were formed with controlled MGS/SO molar ratios (0%, 10%, 30%, 50%, and 100% SO) at the air/water surface of the Langmuir trough over phosphate buffered saline (pH 7.4) subphase. Surface pressure (π)-area (A) isotherms and Brewster angle microscopy observations showed nonideal interactions where SO aggregates with MGS and complements the NPL stratum of the meibomian layers. The analysis of stress relaxation transients with Kohlrausch–Williams–Watts equation revealed that the supplementation of fixed amount of MGS with excess lipids via SO altered the dilatational elasticity of the films as reflected by the increase of the exponent β. Thus, SO with its unique combination of high oxidative stability and abundance of long polyunsaturated acyl chains might be a useful supplement to MGS layers.

A multi-center study evaluating the correlation between meibomian gland dysfunction and depressive symptoms

Increased prevalence of depression has been found in patients with meibomian gland dysfunction (MGD); however, specific conditions of patients suffered from MGD and depression remains unclear. Our aim was to investigate the prevalence of depression in patients with MGD and analyze the risk factors of depression in MGD patients. In this multi-center cross-sectional study, we enrolled 830 MGD patients and 114 normal controls. Demographic information was collected by designed questionnaires about lifestyle habits, systemic and ocular medical history. Ophthalmic examinations were performed in a formal order. Depression symptoms were evaluated with a questionnaire survey using a modified self-rating depression scale (M-SDS). The correlations between the M-SDS score and demographic and clinical information were analyzed. The prevalence of hyperlipidemia and obstructive sleep apnea–hypopnea syndrome (OSAHS) was higher in the MGD group. There were 78 cases (9.4%) with depressive symptoms in the MGD group whereas there were 4 cases (3.5%) in controls. Similarly, M-SDS was higher in the MGD group. The characteristics of depression in the MGD group included: crying spells, sleep disturbance and depressed appetite. Some systemic diseases (OSAHS, allergy, skin disease) and the use of contact lenses was correlated with an increased risk of depressive symptoms in MGD patients.

Eyelid Diseases

This chapter reviews eyelid malpositions, benign and malignant tumors, infections, and inflammatory diseases of the eyelid. Eyelid lesions can originate in any layer or structure within the eyelid and eyelid adnexa. Benign tumors of the eyelid can often be diagnosed based on their characteristic appearance. A biopsy should be performed if an eyelid lesion is not easily diagnosed based on clinical appearance. Blepharitis and meibomitis are very common disorders. Despite their prevalence, these diseases are often overlooked and misdiagnosed. Meibomian gland dysfunction is a major cause of evaporative dry eye and can occur along with aqueous deficient dry eye. Bacteria, fungi, viruses, and parasites can cause infection of the eyelids in different locations, anterior, posterior, angular, which can have different courses, acute, intermediate, or chronic. This chapter also contains photos with a rare disorder, Urbach-Wiethe disease, demonstrating the lesions of lipoid proteinosis at the lower and upper eyelids.