Purpose: To evaluate the effect of daily eyelid wipes on ocular-surface health and comfort during the early adaptation period of orthokeratology (Ortho-K) wear in children. Methods: This single-masked, randomized clinical study was conducted at a tertiary eye hospital from July to October 2025. Fifty-eight myopic children (aged 8–12 years) initiating Ortho-K were randomly assigned to an eyelid-wipe group or a control group. The examiner was masked to group allocation. Baseline and 1-month measurements included noninvasive tear breakup time, lipid-layer thickness, tear meniscus height, meibomian gland expressibility, corneal fluorescein staining, matrix metalloproteinase-9 levels, and Ocular Surface Disease Index. Results: After 1 month, noninvasive tear breakup time and lipid-layer thickness showed no significant between-group differences in change ( P =0.12 and P =0.07, respectively). Meibomian gland expressibility improved more in the eyelid-wipe group (2.5±0.9–1.9±0.8) than in controls (2.4±0.8–2.3±0.9), with a significant between-group difference in change ( P =0.002). Corneal fluorescein staining at the 1-month visit was lower in the eyelid-wipe group than in controls (0.9±0.8 vs. 1.3±0.9, P =0.03). Ocular Surface Disease Index scores showed a greater reduction in the eyelid-wipe group than in controls ( P =0.02). Tear meniscus height and matrix metalloproteinase-9 levels did not differ significantly between groups. All participants continued wipe use, and no adverse events were reported. Conclusions: Daily sterile eyelid wipes safely improved meibomian gland function and comfort without inducing inflammation, suggesting a simple adjunctive approach to enhance early ocular-surface adaptation in pediatric Ortho-K wearers.
He et al. (Wed,) studied this question.