Abstract
Purpose: To explore the therapeutic effect of a dietary supplement on dry eye with meibomian gland dysfunction (MGD).Methods: Sixty patients with MGD-related dry eye were included in this prospective and randomized, placebo-controlled study. All the subjects were treated with eye hot compress, artificial tears, and antibiotic ointment. After that, the patients received dietary supplementary or placebo daily for 12 weeks. The dry eye signs, function of MG, and visual quality of the patients were assessed at 4, 8, and 12 weeks after the treatment.Results: Twelve weeks after the treatment, patients who received dietary supplement had a significantly better improvement of dry eye symptoms, in terms of ocular surface diseases index and tear breaking-up time (TBUT), than those who received placebo (P < 0.05). The functions of MG, in terms of meibum quality and MG exclusion and MG obstruction scores, were significantly improved in both dietary supplement and placebo groups (P < 0.05). Patients who received dietary supplement had a significantly better improvement in the MG structure, in terms of acinar diameter and acinar density, than those who received placebo (P < 0.05). The number of inflammatory cells near MG was significantly lower in the dietary supplement group when compared with the placebo group (P < 0.05). The objective visual quality was significantly improved in the dietary supplement group, but not in the placebo group (P < 0.05).Conclusion: The dietary supplement can effectively improve the symptoms and signs of MGD-related dry eye, reduce the inflammatory reaction of MG, restore the gland structure, and indirectly improve the visual quality.
Highlights
Meibomian gland dysfunction (MGD) is a chronic, diffuse meibomian gland lesion
We investigated the effect of the dietary supplement as an adjunct treatment of MGD-related dry eye
There was no significant difference between the two groups in terms of the symptoms and signs of dry eye as quantified by Ocular Surface Disease Index (OSDI) and FL scores and tear breakingup time (TBUT) (P > 0.05 for all indices)
Summary
The main features of MGD are the obstruction of the terminal duct of the meibomian glands and the abnormal quality or quantity of the meibum secretion [1]. This disease causes tear film abnormalities with inflammatory reactions, resulting in eye irritation. When MGD occurs, the change of meibum, the main component of the lipid layer of the tear film, affects the steady state of the tear film and results in evaporative dry eye. Other epidemiological surveys based on different ethnic groups have found that around 53.6–89.7% of patients in the dry eye population are with MGD [8, 9]. The functional improvement of MG becomes the major strategy to treat MGD-related dry eye patients [10]
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