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Abstract
Purpose
To evaluate the prevalence of meibomian gland dysfunction (MGD) among ophthalmic healthcare workers.
Setting
A tertiary ophthalmic center.
Design
Prospective, observational study.
Methods
Forty-four volunteer ophthalmologists and ophthalmic nurses were recruited. Information including demographics, contact lens wear, history of refractive surgery and symptom score based on Standardized Patient Evaluation of Eye Dryness (SPEED) II Questionnaire for Dry Eye Disease/Ocular Surface Disease were recorded. Lipid layer thickness (LLT), meibomian glands dropout and dilation grades, and proportion of partial blinking were evaluated using an ocular surface interferometer with dynamic meibomian imaging (LipiView, Johnson & Johnson). Based on the chance of MGD, meibomian gland dropout and dilation, selected subjects also underwent treatment with a thermal pulsation system (LipiFlow, Johnson & Johnson) in one or both eyes.
Results
Eighty-eight eyes of 44 volunteers were evaluated during the study period. The mean LLT was 60.0nm. Twenty-seven (61.4%) subjects had a 90% or high chance of MGD and their mean lower lid meibomian gland dropout and dilation grades were 1.2 and 1.7, respectively. Twenty-eight eyes of 16 volunteers received treatment with the thermal pulsation system. Following treatment, the mean LLT improved from 50.3nm to 61.0nm (Wilcoxon’s signed rank test, p=0.001).
Conclusion
Despite being more knowledgeable to MGD and more accessible to treatment, MGD is a highly prevalent condition among ophthalmic healthcare workers, with a 61.4% prevalence among the recruited subjects. This is similar to reported prevalence in Asian populations of up to 74.5%. Targeted therapy based on dynamic meibomian imaging is effective in improving both objective and subjective measures of MGD.
Acknowledgments
Alison Y.Y. Chan and Jasmine C. Chuang are co-first authors for this study. This study received material support from Hong Kong Johnson & Johnson Inc. This study was presented in part as an oral presentation at the Hong Kong Ophthalmological Symposium in December 2019 in Hong Kong.
Disclosure
The authors report no conflicts of interest in this work.