title: Reversibility of Gland Dropout and Significance of Eyelid Hygiene Treatment in Meibomian Gland Dysfunction.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To observe reversibility of meibomian gland (MG) dropout and analyze correlated factors and to compare the treatment efficiency with and without eyelid hygiene in patients with meibomian gland dysfunction (MGD).
  
  
  METHODS
  Consecutive 78 eyes of 78 MGD (stage 2-3) patients who finished follow-up examination after 1-month of treatment were recruited in this retrospective study. All patients were treated with artificial lubricant and eyelid hygiene. Related ocular surface evaluation and meibomian gland assessment were examined.
  
  
  RESULTS
  There were 26 (33%) patients (included in group 1) who ignored doctors' order for eyelid hygiene, and 52 (67%) patients (included in group 2) were compliant. There was no statistical difference between group 1 (age, 44.4 ± 12.2) and group 2 (age, 38.9 ± 16.6) in characteristics and pretreatment clinical indexes. However, after 1-month of treatment, only the ocular surface disease index of group 1 improved (P = 0.048), whereas all clinical indexes of group 2, except the Schirmer test result, improved (including expressibility, all P < 0.05). A 5% decrease in MG dropout of both upper (5.4%) and lower (4.6%) eyelids in group 2 was observed. Improvement in upper-eyelid dropout and expressibility were the predictors of lower-eyelid dropout improvement. The reversibility had no correlation with age, sex, pretreatment MGD stage, disease duration, and use of topical antiinflammation medication.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  With expressibility-improving treatment, MG dropout was reversible to some extent. Eyelid hygiene is an efficient treatment of MGD; however, there is a need for ophthalmologists to instruct patients on conduct and supervise patients' compliance.
authors.affiliation: *Department of Ophthalmology and Vision Science, Eye and ENT Hospital of Fudan University, Shanghai, China; and †Key Laboratory of Myopia, Eye and ENT Hospital of Fudan University, Ministry of Health, Shanghai, China.
authors.forename: Yue
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Yin
authors.forename: Lan
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Gong
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D005141:Eyelid Diseases / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000503:physiopathology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D006920:Hygiene; D065346:Lubricant Eye Drops / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D008297:Male; D008537:Meibomian Glands / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000503:physiopathology; D010349:Patient Compliance; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D016896:Treatment Outcome
chemical_list: D065346:Lubricant Eye Drops