Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2016:2016:7526120.
doi: 10.1155/2016/7526120. Epub 2016 Nov 14.

Risk Factors and Symptoms of Meibomian Gland Loss in a Healthy Population

Anna Machalińska  1 , Aleksandra Zakrzewska  1 , Krzysztof Safranow  2 , Barbara Wiszniewska  3 , Bogusław Machaliński  4
Affiliations

Risk Factors and Symptoms of Meibomian Gland Loss in a Healthy Population

Anna Machalińska et al. J Ophthalmol. 2016.

Abstract

Purpose. The aim of this study was to investigate the relationships between MGL and ocular symptoms, several systemic conditions, and key markers of ocular surface health. Methods. We included into the study 91 healthy volunteers between the ages of 20 and 77 years. We analyzed meibomian gland morphology, function, and lid margin alterations. We correlated our findings with self-reported ocular symptoms, systemic medical history, lifestyle factors, and tear film abnormalities. Results. We observed that a high ocular surface disease index, a history of either chalazion or hordeolum, experience of puffy eyelids upon waking, and foreign body sensation all appeared to be predictors of an abnormal meiboscore after adjusting for age and sex (p = 0.0007; p = 0.001; p = 0.02; p = 0.001, resp.). Multivariate logistic regression model including age and sex showed that there were three independent predictors of abnormal meiboscore: older age (OR = 1.03, 95% CI = 1.01-1.04 per year, p = 0.006), postmenopausal hormone therapy (OR = 4.98, 95% CI = 1.52-16.30, p = 0.007), and the use of antiallergy drugs (OR = 5.85, 95% CI = 2.18-15.72, p = 0.0004). Conclusion. Our findings extend current knowledge on the pathophysiology of MGL.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

The authors report no competing interests.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Definition of total area of the upper tarsus (a) and area of meibomian gland loss (b) on which subjective and computerized grading was based.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Representative cases of meibomian gland distortion. (a) No distortion. (b) Distortion: more than 50% of the meibomian glands changed in shape (distortion of >45°).
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Schaumberg D. A., Nichols J. J., Papas E. B., Tong L., Uchino M., Nichols K. K. The international workshop on meibomian gland dysfunction: report of the subcommittee on the epidemiology of, and associated risk factors for, MGD. Investigative Ophthalmology and Visual Science. 2011;52(4):1994–2005. doi: 10.1167/iovs.10-6997e. - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Knop E., Knop N., Millar T., Obata H., Sullivan D. A. The international workshop on meibomian gland dysfunction: report of the subcommittee on anatomy, physiology, and pathophysiology of the meibomian gland. Investigative Ophthalmology and Visual Science. 2011;52(4):1938–1978. doi: 10.1167/iovs.10-6997c. - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Nelson J. D., Shimazaki J., Benitez-del-Castillo J. M., et al. The international workshop on meibomian gland dysfunction: report of the definition and classification subcommittee. Investigative Ophthalmology & Visual Science. 2011;52(4):1930–1937. doi: 10.1167/iovs.10-6997b. - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Arita R., Itoh K., Inoue K., Kuchiba A., Yamaguchi T., Amano S. Contact lens wear is associated with decrease of meibomian glands. Ophthalmology. 2009;116(3):379–384. doi: 10.1016/j.ophtha.2008.10.012. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Alvarenga L. S., Mannis M. J. Ocular rosacea. The Ocular Surface. 2005;3(1):41–58. doi: 10.1016/s1542-0124(12)70121-0. - DOI - PubMed

LinkOut - more resources