The modern treatment of meibomian gland dysfunction(MGD) is based on anti-inflammatory drops or oral antibiotics for decreasing dry eye disease (DED) associated inflammation, warm compresses for liquefying the thicker meibum, and lid hygiene for reducing the bacterial overload. But, such treatments have shown limited effectiveness to a large proportion of patients with MGD, due to the multifactorial background of the disease. Thus, alternative approaches aiming at different aspects of the DED pathophysiology are needed. Elimination of posterior lid-margin hyperemia with telangiectasia could be a treatment target for reducing the secretion of inflammatory mediators in the course of MGD. Using the mechanism of photocoagulation via selective thermolysis, laser light could contribute to the destruction of abnormal vessels at the posterior lid-margin and thus, the reduction of inflammation. Recently, sub-threshold (micropulse) laser photocoagulation was introduced in ophthalmology and offers significant clinical advantages compared to conventional continuous wave (CW) approach, preventing laser induced thermal damage and related treatment side effects. This study investigates the effect of sub-threshold (micropulse) laser treatment for dry eye disease due to meibomian gland dysfunction combined with increased eyelid margin vascularity.
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Tear Break Up Time (TBUT)
Timeframe: The subjects were evaluated at five different time points: (a) 1 day preoperatively (baseline), (b) 2 weeks (W2), (c) 4 weeks (W4), (d) 8 weeks (W8), and (e) 12 weeks (W12) postoperatively.