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PURPOSE: Warm-compress therapy applied to the skin of the closed eyelids has been recommended as a treatment for meibomian gland dysfunction (MGD). Previous studies have evaluated the effects of warm-compress therapy on tear-film fluorescein break-up time and tear evaporation rate. The purpose of this study was to determine if tear-film lipid layer thickness (TFLLT) was altered following 5, 15, and 30 minutes of warm, moist compress therapy. METHODS: Twenty patients with a diagnosis of dry eye associated with MGD and a baseline TFLLT of <or= 90 nm (baseline difference between experimental and control eyes <or= 25 nm) were studied. The skin of the closed eyelids of one eye of each subject was treated for a total of 30 minutes with a compress saturated with warm (40.0 +/- 2.0 degrees C) water used as a compress; and the skin of the closed eyelids of the contralateral control eye was treated for a total of 30 minutes with a compress saturated with room-temperature (24.0 degrees C +/- 1.0 degrees C) water used as a compress. The subjects' eyes were randomized into experimental and control eyes. TFLLT was measured at the following time points: 5, 15, and 30 minutes during the 30-minute treatment period, and after 5 minutes following the 30-minute treatment period. RESULTS: The mean baseline TFLLT of the experimental eye prior to treatment with a warm, moist compress was 57.8 +/- 12.9 (standard error) nm; after 5 minutes of treatment, TFLLT was 105.8 +/- 23.7 nm; after 15 minutes of treatment, 117.8 +/- 26.4 nm; after 30 minutes of treatment, 121.5 +/- 27.1 nm; and after 5 minutes following the 30-minute treatment, 96.0 +/- 21.5 nm. The mean baseline TFLLT of the control eye prior to treatment with a room temperature, moist compress was 63.0 +/- 14.1 nm; after 5 minutes of treatment, TFLLT was 63.8 +/- 14.3 nm; after 15 minutes of treatment, 62.3 +/- 13.9 nm; after 30 minutes of treatment, 64.5 +/- 14.4 nm; and after 5 minutes following the 30-minute treatment period, 58.5 +/- 13.1 nm. Using a paired-data t-test, the results demonstrated a significant increase in mean TFLLT in the experimental eye after 5 minutes (P < 0.001), 15 minutes (P < 0.001), and 30 minutes (P < 0.001) of treatment, and after 5 minutes following the 30-minute treatment period (P < 0.001) when compared to baseline TFLLT. In comparison, there was no significant increase in TFLLT of the control eye after 5 minutes (P = 0.79), 15 minutes (P = 0.77), and 30 minutes (P = 0.81) of treatment, and after 5 minutes following the 30-minute treatment period (P = 0.20) when compared to baseline TFLLT. CONCLUSIONS: Warm, moist compress therapy applied to the skin of the closed eyelids increases TFLLT for subjects with MGD by more than 80%, 5 minutes after initiating treatment and an additional 20% after 15 minutes of treatment. This study supports clinical experience and previous reports on warm, moist compress therapy as an effective treatment for meibomian gland dysfunction.
Olson et al. (Tue,) studied this question.