Meibomian Gland Dysfunction
Conditions
Keywords
Meibomian Glad Dysfunction, EyeBag, Hot Compress, Dry Eyes
Brief summary
Meibomian gland dysfunction (MGD) is a common condition that causes the secretion from meibomian glands in the eyelids to become blocked. Normally, the secretion helps to maintain a healthy tear film. In MGD, the tear film becomes unstable and often causes dry eye symptoms. Treatments often involve gently warming the eyelids to melt this blockage which prevents tears from spreading over the eye. Although there has been some research on application of heat with warm moist flannels, the Eye Bags potentially offers a simpler and more effective method of applying heat to the eyelids. This study will test the efficiency of these eyelid warming devices over a period of two weeks use in one eye compared to the other non-treated eye.
Detailed description
Study Design Contralateral treatment study Randomised eye treated with heated eyebag in the morning and evening each day as per manufacturer's instructions Other eye acts as control with room temperature eyebag overlaid in same manner as treatment eye Investigators masked SMS messaging twice a day for 14 days to remind patients to use eyebag and collect 0-10 comfort score
Interventions
DEVICEEyeBag
fabric bag of beads which can be heated in a microwave
OTHERPlacebo
Sponsors
Aston University
Study design
Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Intervention model
PARALLEL
Primary purpose
TREATMENT
Masking
SINGLE (Investigator)
Eligibility
Sex/Gender
ALL
Age
18 Years to No maximum
Healthy volunteers
No
Inclusion criteria
* 18 or over * Have otherwise healthy eyes * Are prepared not to wear contact lens for the 2 weeks of the trial * Have a NITBUT \<10s * OSDI score: greater than or equal to 12 * Symptom frequency at least some of the time * Presence of cloudy fluid expressed from at least 1 of the central 8 glands on the lower/upper lid AND/OR presence of poor expressibility from at least 2-3 of the central 8 glands on the lower lid
Exclusion criteria
• Blepharitis
Design outcomes
Primary
| Measure | Time frame | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Change in Ocular Symptoms | Between baseline and 2 weeks | Ocular symptomology: Ocular Surface Disease Index for right and left eyes |
| Change in Tear Film Quality | Between baseline and 2 weeks | Non-invasive tear break up time: 3 measurements per eye |
Secondary
| Measure | Time frame | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Change in Ocular redness | Between baseline and 2 weeks | Ocular hyperaemia: limbal and temporal conjunctiva for both eyes, images captured |
| Change in Lipid layer thickness | Between baseline and 2 weeks | Tear film lipid layer thickness: for right and left eyes, images captured with Tearscope |
| Change in Meibomian Glands | Between baseline and 2 weeks | Meibography: for right and left eyes, images captured using Keratograph 5 leading to change in area score |
Countries
United Kingdom
Outcome results
None listed