Single TearCare treatment improved symptoms of meibomian gland dysfunction for 12 months
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Key takeaways:
- Patients reported reduced symptoms of dry eye for 12 months after treatment.
- Meibomian gland expression scores remained higher than baseline for up to 18 months after treatment.
Controlled heat therapy in combination with manual meibomian gland expression reduced signs and symptoms of meibomian gland dysfunction for 12 months, according to a study published in Optometry and Vision Science.
“The published results of this procedure give me the confidence to tell patients that their condition will be improved and that benefit will last for over a year with minimal additional interventions,” Thomas Chester, OD, FAAO, study author and clinical director at the Cleveland Eye Clinic, told Healio.
In a retrospective analysis of data collected at a single-center practice, researchers assessed 78 patients (64 women; 94% white; mean age, 65.6 years) with meibomian gland dysfunction who were treated with the TearCare System (SightSciences) at least 12 months before data collection.
Treatment included application of heat to the external surface of the upper and lower eyelids for 15 minutes via the system’s SmartLid device. Participants then underwent physician-facilitated expression of the glands and were instructed to use warm compresses daily.
Participants reported their symptoms using the Standard Patient Evaluation of Eye Dryness (SPEED) questionnaire at baseline and at 8 weeks and 6, 12 and 18 months after treatment. Results of meibomian gland expression (MGE) also were evaluated at these time points.
The researchers reported that the mean SPEED score decreased from 14.1 to 7.9 from baseline to 8 weeks, with sustained scores of 7.7 at 6 months and 7.9 at 12 months. The mean SPEED score rose to 8.9 at 18 months.
Further, mean MGE at baseline was 4.9 in the right eye and 4.8 in the left, which increased to 9 in both eyes at 8 weeks. At 6 months, the mean MGE score was 8.6 in the right eye and 8.2 in the left, which was sustained at 7.8 in both eyes at 12 months and dropped to 6.8 in the right and 7 in the left at 18 months.
“It is evident by a retrospective analysis of this patient population that a single TearCare treatment alone may successfully reduce the symptoms and signs of meibomian gland dysfunction for an extended duration with no other interventional therapy,” Chester and colleagues wrote. “Further prospective intervention studies are recommended to support the findings in the present study.”
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