Evaluation of dry eye and meibomian gland dysfunction with meibography in vitiligo

Purpose To evaluate the dry eye and meibomian gland dysfunction (MGD) of vitiligo patients with meibography. Methods Twenty eyes of 20 vitiligo patients (Group 1) and 20 eyes of 20 healthy individuals (Group 2) were enrolled. All subjects had undergone a comprehensive ophthalmic examination including corneal and conjunctival fluorescein staining (Oxford scale scoring), tear film break-up time (T-BUT), Schirmer 1 test, Ocular Surface Disease Index (OSDI) score assessment, and upper and lower eyelid meibography using infrared captures of a biomicroscope (Topcon, SL-D701, IJssel, The Netherlands). Partial or complete loss of the meibomian glands was scored for each eyelid from grade 0 (no loss) through grade 3 (lost area was >2/3 of the total meibomian gland area). Results The mean ages of Group 1 and Group 2 were 35.5 +/- 13.4 (range, 8-54) and 35.2 +/- 12.4 years (range, 8-52), respectively (P = 0.942). Mean Schirmer 1 values were lower, and Oxford score, OSDI score, and meiboscores of lower eyelids were higher in Group 1, but the difference was not statistically significant (P = 0.139, P = 0.057, P = 0.071, P = 0.300, respectively). T-BUT values were significantly lower, and meiboscores of upper eyelids and total (upper +lower) eyelids were significantly higher in Group 1 than in Group 2 (P = 0.047, P = 0.001, P = 0.003, respectively). Conclusion Vitiligo can be associated with dry eye and there are significant differences in meibomian gland morphology in patients with vitiligo when compared with healthy subjects. For this reason, patients with vitiligo should be monitored for dry eye and MGD, and promptly start treatment when needed.