One-Year Comparison Of The Clinical Outcomes Of Intense Pulsed Light Therapy With Acne And 590-Nm Filters For Moderate To Severe Meibomian Gland Dysfunction: A Prospective, Randomized Study

We investigated the clinical outcomes of 12 months of treatment for meibomian gland dysfunction (MGD) using intense pulsed light (IPL) therapy with the acne or the 590-nm filter, comparing the effects between the two filters.

Asan Medical Center, Seoul, South Korea.

In 31 with moderate and severe MGD, we evaluated the tear break-up time (TBUT), NEI (National Eye Institute) scale, Oxford scale, Sjögren’s International Clinical Collaborative Alliance (SICCA) staining score, Lid wiper epitheliopathy staining grade, meibum expressibility, meibum secretion score, lid margin telangiectasia, Schirmer test, tear matrix metalloproteinase-9 (MMP-9) expression, and tear osmolarity before and at 6 and 12 months after IPL therapy with the acne filter and 590-nm filter. We assessed the changes in these parameters before and after treatment with each filter, while also comparing the efficacy of IPL therapy between the two filters.

All patients showed improvement in TBUT, NEI scale, Oxford scale, SICCA staining score, Lid wiper epitheliopathy staining grade, meibum expressibility, meibum secretion score, and lid margin telangiectasia after IPL therapy, regardless of filter type used, with the exceptions of the Schirmer test, osmolarity, and MMP-9 expression. In both the 590-nm and the acne filter groups, there were significant improvements in all parameters with the exceptions of the Schirmer test, osmolarity, and MMP-9 expression at 6- and 12-month after IPL therapy.

In all patients treated with IPL therapy, both the acne and the 590-nm filters were found to be effective, showing no significant differences between the two filters.