Clinical examination findings help predict meibomian gland atrophy, study finds

Gently pressing on the meibomian glands to check how easily they release oil is a strong way to predict meibomian gland atrophy (MGA), according to a study. Although other factors like lipid layer thickness and vascular engorgement also contribute, clinical examination alone does not fully explain MGA variability.

Researchers evaluated dry eye symptoms using the SPEED questionnaire and examined various clinical parameters, including lipid layer thickness, Schirmer I scores, lid margin characteristics, and meibomian gland secretion factors. Infrared meibography assessed MGA severity, while multivariate binary logistic regression identified key predictors.

Expressibility of meibomian gland secretions was the strongest predictor of MGA severity, with an odds ratio of 2.604 (P = 0.020), sensitivity of 85.7%, and specificity of 59.1%. The Foulks-Bron (FB) score was also significantly correlated with MGA severity (R = 0.372, P = 0.014). Lipid layer thickness (P = 0.042) and vascular engorgement (P = 0.032) were found to be predictive.

Reference
Suraneni S, Mulpuri L, Habib M, et al. Efficacy and utility of clinical examination in predicting meibomian gland atrophy. Cont Lens Anterior Eye. 2025;102405. doi: 10.1016/j.clae.2025.102405. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 40090800.