Effectiveness of Intraductal Meibomian Gland Probing in Addition to the Conventional Treatment in Patients with Obstructive Meibomian Gland Dysfunction

Purpose: To evaluate the effectiveness of intraductal meibomian gland probing in addition to conventional treatment for the management of obstructive meibomian gland dysfunction (O-MGD). Methods: Totally, 40 patients were divided into two groups to receive either conventional treatment alone (group 1: 40 eyes of 20 patients) or conventional treatment plus probing (group 2: 40 eyes of 20 patients). The ocular surface disease index score, Schirmer 1 test, tear film break-up time, Oxford grading of ocular surface, meibum expressibility, and quality scores were evaluated baseline and compared with the end of treatment (day 30 and day 90). Results: There was no significant difference in baseline scores between groups (All p > 0.05). All scores demonstrated significantly improvement from baseline in both group, and it was faster in group 2 (All p < 0.05). Conclusion: This study showed that intraductal meibomian gland probing seems to provide rapid symptom relief and clinical improvement for patients with O-MGD.