Prevalence of Meibomian gland dysfunction

This study was performed to determine the prevalence of Meibomian gland dysfunction (MGD) and to determine which patient profile factors might be associated with the syndrome. Patients were randomly selected, apparently normal patients presenting for routine vision examinations. Of the 398 patients for whom Meibomian gland expression was performed and a detailed history obtained, 155 patients or 38.9% exhibited MGD based on the principal clinical criterion of an absent or cloudy Meibomian gland secretion upon expression. Patient profile factors of gender, age, allergy occurrence, and contact lens wear were analyzed for correlation with MGD. Age was found to be the only significant correlating factor (positive correlation, p less than 0.0001).