Single TearCare treatment effective for curing dry eye: Study

USA: A novel TearCare treatment effectively reduced signs and symptoms in patients with dry eye, according to a recent study in the journal Optometry and Vision Science. The system involves the delivery of a specific meibum-melting temperature at the inner eyelid and meibomian gland level that helps in the effective melting of hardened meibum. 

The meibomian gland is essential in maintaining a healthy tear film, which in turn protects and provides lubrication to the ocular surface. The meibomian gland is a sebaceous gland located in e tarsal plates of the eyelids that secrete meibum. 

Meibomian gland dysfunction, a common eye condition, is an umbrella term that encompasses several meibomian gland disorders, ranging from congenital to acquired. The clinical features of meibomian gland disease include damage to the ocular surface, altered tear film stability, visual fluctuations, and symptoms of ocular surface irritation. Finding an adequate treatment to alleviate a patient's signs and symptoms is vital to caring for those with dry eye disease resulting from meibomian gland disease.

Thomas Chester, Cleveland Eye Clinic, Brecksville, Ohio, and colleagues aimed to determine whether the controlled heating of meibomian glands with the SmartLid devices (TearCare) combined with the evacuation of the liquefied meibum using a handheld clearance assistant would improve a patient's dry eye and signs as measured by meibomian gland expression [MGE] scores.

The study was designed as a retrospective analysis of data gathered in a single-center ophthalmology/optometry practice. The symptom frequency and severity were assessed using the SPEED questionnaire, and the signs were assessed via MGE scores before and after (8 to 12 weeks) treatment. A further analysis evaluating efficacy in subgroups based on age, race, and sex was performed. Statistical analysis was performed with t-tests for group comparisons.

A SPEED questionnaire was answered by 92 patients with dry eye disease

Dr Chester found out the results to be

• Each patient's meibomian gland function was recorded as MGE scores for each eye (176 eyes). These procedures were completed before and approximately 8 weeks after a single bilateral Tear Care treatment.

• The median total SPEED score was reduced from 16 to 9, and the total MGE scores improved from 5.0 to 9.0 in the right eye and 4.0 to 9.0 in the left eye after a single Tear Care treatment

Dr. Chester concluded that a single Tear Care treatment was effective in reducing both the signs and symptoms of dry eye in all subjects however he also stated that additional large-scale, prospective studies, including morphological evaluations, are required to confirm these results.

The device has been engineered to deliver a specific meibum-melting temperature at the inner eyelid and meibomian gland level that promotes the effective melting of hardened meibum. 

Reference:

Chester, Thomas OD1∗ A Single-center Retrospective Trial of a Blink-assisted Eyelid Device in Treating the Signs and Symptoms of Dry Eye, Optometry and Vision Science: June 2021 - Volume 98 - Issue 6 - p 605-612 doi: 10.1097/OPX.0000000000001711