Long-term (12-month) improvement in meibomian gland function and reduced dry eye symptoms with a single thermal pulsation treatment

Purpose To determine the 1‐year post‐treatment dry eye status of subjects with meibomian gland dysfunction and dry eye symptoms after receiving a single LipiFlow Thermal Pulsation System treatment. Design Single‐centre, prospective, observational, open‐label, 1‐month‐registered clinical trial with a 1‐year follow‐up examination. Participants Patients with evaporative dry eye disease with meibomian gland dysfunction and dry eye symptoms who had participated in the registered 1‐month clinical trial. Methods Eighteen of 30 subjects initially enrolled were able to return for a 1‐year follow‐up. Both eyes of all patients were treated with a single 12‐min treatment using the LipiFlow Thermal Pulsation System. Meibomian gland function, tear break‐up time and dry eye symptoms were measured. Data are presented for pretreatment (baseline), and 1‐month and 1‐year post‐treatment. Main Outcome Measures Meibomian gland secretion scores, and tear break‐up time and dry eye symptoms. Results Significant improvement in meibomian gland secretion scores from baseline measurements (4.0 ± 3.4) to 1‐month post‐treatment (11.3 ± 4.7; P