Meibomian Gland Dysfunction
This video shows how the thickened oils in the eyelid of a patient with MGD can be released by your optometrist with a in-office technique.
Dry eyes are a common problem for New Zealanders. Most often this discomfort is caused by meibomian gland dysfunction (MGD), a common condition causing evaporative dry eye disease, when the tears on the surface of the eye dry out too quickly. It is estimated that more than ~80% of dry eye sufferers have MGD.
This condition occurs when the oil producing glands in the eyelids stop functioning correctly. The oils that these glands produce prevent the watery tears from evaporating. If the oils are compromised then the eyes dry out faster than they should and your eye becomes irritable. MGD is a chronic condition, which means there is no cure and eventually symptoms will recur without treatment. Treatments for MGD depend on the severity of the condition and include
Infrared imaging of the meibomian glands in a patient at Bay Eye Care shows the loss of gland structures that can occur with dry eye disease.
lubricant eye drops to 'top-up' the tears,
anti-inflammatory manuka honey based lid ointment,
omega-3 nutrition supplements,
heat bags and digital gland manipulation,
in-office gland expression by your optometrist,
steroid containing anti-inflammatory eye drops,
anti-inflammatory oral medication.
However two of the most exciting therapies to improve dry eye in MGD patients is intense pulsed light (IPL), and Lipiflow thermal pulsation treatment. Bay Eye Care was the first clinic to offer IPL for dry eye disease in the Bay of Plenty, and remains the only clinic with Lipiflow treatment at the time of writing.
The business end of our IPL device, used to treat dry eye.
The difficulty with most dry eye treatments is they have to be continued each day to stop the symptoms returning. Intense pulsed light (IPL) is a revolutionary new treatment that is painless and long-lasting. At Bay Eye Care we use a IPL device specially designed in France for treating dry eye. Treatments consist of 3 or more sessions over 6 weeks where we apply intense pulsed light to the skin around the eye. The treatment stimulates the glands in the eyelids to improve their secretions, improving your dry eye.
A study from Auckland University using the same IPL device that we have at Bay Eye Care showed that after only two treatments 86% of patients had noticed significant improvement in their symptoms.
Typically people treated with IPL find sustained improvement in their dry eye for over 6 months. You can read a case report about one of our patient's successful treatment with IPL at Bay Eye Care here. Most patients do require re-treatment however when their symptoms return to a bothersome level. More information about the costs of IPL therapy can be found on our Bay Eye Care Fee Structure page. Visit our IPL for dry eye page here.
A recent report on an Australian current affairs show gives insight into the suffering dry eye can cause and how the IPL treatment available at Bay Eye Care can help.
Lipiflow Thermal Pulsation Treatment for Dry Eye
Lipiflow treatment in action!
Traditionally to improve stagnant or blocked oil glands, regular home treatment with heated eyelid compresses and massage has been recommended, but can often be uncomfortable, time-consuming or ineffective.
The Lipiflow thermal pulsation system is a novel in-clinic treatment which uses a sterile single-use activator device sitting gently over your eye-lids. During a single 12 minute session the activator internally heats the meibomian gland structures, while simultaneously massaging the exterior lid to express any stubborn, blocked oils from the glands.
Treatment can be used as a stand-alone treatment, or combined with IPL for moderate-severe dry eye conditions. Lipiflow treatment is easy and painless to have carried out, and in many cases gives instant improvements in symptoms within weeks of your treatment. More information can be found at our Lipiflow page here.
Assessing your Meibomian Gland Dysfunction at Bay Eye Care
Bay Eye Care runs a dedicated dry eye clinic to look after people suffering from MGD and other dry eye conditions. We use a range of cutting-edge technologies, including TearLab tear chemistry testing, to assess your ocular surface and eyelid health and employ specialty treatments to manage the underlying cause. We were the first eye care practice in the Bay of Plenty to invest in an IPL device to treat dry eye syndrome in 2017, and then add Lipiflow thermal pulsation technology to our offerings in 2025.
This animation shows the effect of abnormal tear film chemistry on the ocular surface. At Bay Eye Care we use The TearLab osmolarity system to check for a higher level of dissolved salts in your tears, a proven bio-marker for dry eye disease, and a cause for ocular inflammation.
