Vectored Thermal Pulsation as a Treatment for Meibomian Gland Dysfunction: A Review Spanning 15 Years

Abstract

The LipiFlow Thermal Pulsation System received its first marketing clearance for the treatment of meibomian gland dysfunction (MGD) 13 years ago. Since then, the evidence evaluating the effectiveness and safety of LipiFlow as a treatment for MGD has grown significantly. The objective of this comprehensive review was to summarize all clinical reports evaluating the effectiveness and safety of LipiFlow over the past 15 years. The literature was systematically reviewed, and 55 unique articles had subjective (patient-reported outcomes) and objective (meibomian gland function, tear production, and ocular staining) outcomes for extraction. Data were collected from 2101 patients and 3521 eyes treated with LipiFlow. Of these, effectiveness was evaluated in 2041 patients and 3401 eyes, and safety was evaluated in 1448 patients and 2443 eyes. Taken together, the studies demonstrate that a single 12-min treatment with LipiFlow safely improves signs and symptoms of MGD and associated evaporative dry eye disease (DED), and the benefits persist up to 3 years in some cases. The findings are corroborated by multiple meta-analyses and consensus guidelines. While some studies showed that daily eyelid hygiene, warm compress, and/or massage had a similar benefit to a single LipiFlow, these treatments were limited by inconvenience, discomfort, and non-compliance. The majority of studies evaluating safety reported no discomfort or pain associated with LipiFlow treatment, which supports the patient acceptability of LipiFlow therapy. All adverse events (AEs) related to LipiFlow were transient, non-vision-threatening, and did not require treatment. No studies reported serious AEs. The data obtained from 55 studies conducted globally overwhelmingly show that LipiFlow is effective and safe for the treatment of MGD and associated evaporative DED. The conclusions are supported by the diversity of the patient populations (geography, race, disease severity, and diagnosis), the large population treated with LipiFlow, the meta-analyses, and that this review analyzed all published clinical studies to date.

Keywords: Dry eye; LipiFlow; Meibomian gland dysfunction; Ocular surface disease; Vectored thermal pulsation system.

Fig. 1

Cross section of Activator placement around the eyelids during use

Fig. 2

Oblique view of patient being treated with LipiFlow. Consent was obtained from the patient

Fig. 3

Flow diagram illustrating article screening and study inclusion. Abbreviations: combo combination of a single LipiFlow treatment and additional therapies, DED dry eye disease, inc including, LF LipiFlow, MGD meibomian gland dysfunction, mono single LipiFlow treatment, RCT randomized controlled trial