Novel device for meibomian gland debridement safe, effective in dry eye treatment
Key takeaways:
- Both treatment groups had sustained improvements in OSDI, Dry Eye Questionnaire and Symptom Assessment in Dry Eye scores.
- The MGrx device may have time and space advantages vs. conventional treatment.
A new device for meibomian gland debridement was safe and effective and demonstrated time and space benefits compared with conventional debridement and expression approaches, according to a study published in Optometry and Vision Science.
“In recent years, electronic treatment devices [for meibomian gland dysfunction] have emerged, such as the LipiFlow Thermal Pulsation System (Johnson & Johnson), which was the first commercially available device of its kind,” David A. Semp, BSc, MCOptom, of the School of Optometry at Aston University in Birmingham, U.K., and colleagues wrote.
“Multiple randomized controlled trials have demonstrated the efficacy of such systems; however, the cost and availability of treatments may be prohibitive to some patients, mainly due to the high cost of equipment and consumables incurred by practitioners being passed on to patients,” they added. “The MGrx system (OcuSci Inc.) consists of a handheld device with three reusable treatment instruments and, therefore, has the advantage of requiring no expensive consumables.”
To compare the efficacy of the MGrx device with conventional treatment for meibomian gland debridement and expression, Semp and colleagues conducted a randomized-sequence trial of 30 individuals aged 18 years or older (mean age, 36.4 ± 15.4 years; 77% women) with evaporative dry eye disease and meibomian gland dysfunction.
Participants were randomly assigned to receive treatment with the MGrx device (n = 15) or traditional debridement, heating and expression (n = 15).
At baseline and 4 and 8 weeks following treatment, the researchers assessed dry eye symptoms using the Ocular Surface Disease Index, Dry Eye Questionnaire (DEQ-5) and Symptom Assessment in Dry Eye (SANDE). They also assessed tear film and ocular surface measures.
In both treatment groups, OSDI, DEQ-5 and SANDE scores improved significantly following treatment (all, P < .001), with no significant decline in symptomatology for at least 8 weeks, according to the researchers. Further, improvement was similar between groups (all P > .05).
The researchers also found that blink rate, tear meniscus height, lipid layer thickness grade, ocular surface characteristics and expression grade did not change after both treatments (all P > .05). However, noninvasive tear breakup time deteriorated in the conventional treatment group (P = .006) between 4 weeks and 8 weeks after treatment, leading to a significant difference between the two groups (P = .03).
Additionally, they noted that no adverse reactions were reported, and treatment was tolerable among both groups.
“This study sheds light on a novel device for in-office thermal meibomian gland debridement and expression,” the researchers wrote. “The results affirm that debridement and expression are useful in reducing dry eye symptoms in patients with evaporative dry eye disease, which accounts for the vast majority of sufferers.”
Semp and colleagues acknowledged several study limitations, including the potential for bias because investigators and participants were not masked.
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