Efficacy Of Intense Pulsed Light Treatment In Patients With Meibomian Gland Dysfunction

Meibomian gland dysfunction (MGD) is a major cause of the evaporative form of dry eye disease. First-line therapy consists of regular eye lid hygiene in combination with intensive lubrication of the ocular surface. Nevertheless, in some patients there is no satisfactory effect of eye lid hygiene. Over the last years, new therapy strategies for MGD have emerged. Intense pulsed light (IPL) therapy, originally deriving from dermatological treatment strategies, is a new approach to ameliorate MGD.  The aim of the present study is to investigate the effect of IPL therapy on dry eye parameters and subjective complaints in patients with therapy-refractory MGD.

All study-related measures as well as data collection were performed at the Vienna Institute for Research in Ocular Surgery (VIROS), Karl-Landsteiner Institute, Vienna, Austria.

The study was conducted in a prospective, randomized, sham-controlled, double-blind design. A total of six visits (three treatment visits, three study visits at baseline and at three and six months) were performed. The study eye was selected through randomization and was treated according to the treatment protocol provided by the manufacturer (LacryStim, 8-12 J/cm²). The contralateral eye served as a control eye and was sham-treated with a dose of 1 J/cm². The primary outcome parameter of the study represented the qualitative assessment of meibomian gland secretion at the six-month visit as compared to baseline.

A total of 26 patients were included in the study. In a preliminary evaluation, 36 eyes of 18 patients which completed the six-month visit were analysed. In these eyes a significant improvement of the qualitative evaluation of the meibomian secretion was observed in the study eyes (-2.45, p=0.04), but not in the control eyes (-0.34, p=0.24). Regarding the subjective complaints, which were determined by Ocular Surface Disease Index, no significant difference could be detected at the time of evaluation. 

In a preliminary analysis, IPL therapy demonstrated a significant improvement in the quality of meibomian secretion at the 3-month visit in the study eyes. The final results of the study will be presented at the 41^st Congress of the ESCRS in Vienna.