Dry eye syndrome in thyroid eye-disease patients: the role of increased incomplete blinking and Meibomian gland loss

Session Details

Session Title: Presented Poster Session: New & Interesting I

Venue: Poster Village: Pod 3

First Author: : J.Park SOUTH KOREA

Co Author(s): :    S. Yang   M. Park   S. Baek                 

Abstract Details

Purpose:

To compare the structure and function of the Meibomian gland and eyelid blinking patterns between thyroid eye disease (TED) patients with dry eye and non-thyroidal dry eye (DE) patients.

Setting:

This was a prospective, cross-sectional, and observational study.

Methods:

Clinical measurements were performed as follows: (1) external examination, (2) Lipiview® Interferometer (lipid layer thickness, incomplete blinking rate, and meibography), and (3) slit-lamp biomicroscopy (corneal staining, tear break-up time (TBUT), meibum expression).

Results:

The TED and DE groups included 98 and 62 patients, respectively. The meiboscores of the upper eyelid in TED and DE groups were significantly different (1.21±0.76 and 0.94±0.71, respectively, p = 0.046). The rate of incomplete blinking was 53.3±34.5 and 34.6±36.3%, respectively, and was significantly higher in the TED group (p = 0.006). In the TED group, CAS was the only variable affecting the meiboscore of the upper and lower eyelids (p = 0.031, 0.039, respectively). Significantly, active TED patients had more decreased basal tear secretion than inactive TED patients (7.4±2.1 mm vs. 8.5±1.5 mm, p = 0.024).

Conclusions:

In TED patients, incomplete blinking and loss of Meibomian gland structure in the upper eyelid were more prominent than in DE patients. CAS was a factor affecting the structural loss of Meibomian glands in TED individuals.

Financial Disclosure:

None