title: Design of a Subtarsal Ultrasonic Transducer for Mild Hyperthermia Treatment of Dry Eye Disease.
abstract: Dry eye disease is a disorder of the ocular surface that causes pain and low vision in a significant portion of the adult population. A common cause is obstructive Meibomian gland dysfunction, whereby the Meibomian glands secrete abnormal meibum with a melting point elevated by 3°C-4°C; hence, hyperthermia is the typical treatment. A design is proposed for an ultrasound hyperthermia device made of a transducer contained inside a contact lens with an internal air gap. The transducer heats the posterior of the tarsus, and the air gap provides an air backing to the transducer, preventing direct heating of the cornea. A prototype device was built, and hyperthermia experiments were performed on a porcine subject in vivo. A therapeutic temperature rise of 5°C-7°C was achievable in 10-15 min. The temperature of the cornea did not rise more than 2°C during any of the experiments.
authors.affiliation: Sunnybrook Research Institute, Toronto, Ontario, Canada; Department of Applied Mathematics, University of Waterloo, Waterloo, Ontario, Canada.
authors.forename: Michael B
authors.initials: MB
authors.lastname: Hynes
authors.affiliation: Department of Ophthalmology and Vision Sciences, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
authors.forename: Matthew C
authors.initials: MC
authors.lastname: Bujak
authors.affiliation: Sunnybrook Research Institute, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
authors.forename: Emmanuel
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Chérin
authors.affiliation: Department of Anatomic Pathology, Sunnybrook Health Sciences Center, Toronto, Ontario, Canada; Department of Laboratory Medicine and Pathobiology, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
authors.forename: Shachar
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Sade
authors.affiliation: Sunnybrook Research Institute, Toronto, Ontario, Canada; Department of Medical Biophysics, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Electronic address: stuart@sri.utoronto.ca.
authors.forename: F Stuart
authors.initials: FS
authors.lastname: Foster
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D003261:Contact Lenses; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D015352:Dry Eye Syndromes / Q000628:therapy*; D004867:Equipment Design; D006358:Hot Temperature; D013552:Swine; D014159:Transducers; D014465:Ultrasonics / Q000295:instrumentation* / Q000379:methods*
keywords: Dry eye disease; Meibomian gland dysfunction; Ultrasound hyperthermia