Intense pulsed light therapy with meibomian gland expression for dry eye disease

To examine the effectiveness of intense pulsed light therapy (IPL) with meibomian gland expression (MGX) in treating meibomian gland dysfunction (MGD) and dry eye symptoms.

Systematic review followed by a meta-analysis.

This study was conducted following the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) statement guidelines. Literature sources included MEDLINE, Embase, Cochrane Library, and meeting abstracts from Canadian Ophthalmological Society, The Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology, The American Academy of Ophthalmology, and The European Society for Cataract and Refractive Surgeons. Articles underwent 3 stages of screening before data extraction and meta-analysis.

After the initial search, 502 studies were found. Six articles were included for meta-analysis, and data were extracted after 3 stages of screening. Meta-analysis indicated significant increase in tear break-up time (TBUT) post-treatment in the <1-month follow-up (standardized mean difference [SMD] = 1.29; confidence interval [CI]: 1.10-1.48), up-to-6-month follow-up (SMD = 1.71; CI: 1.46-1.96), and >6-month follow-up (SMD = 2.04; CI: 1.68-2.40) groups. Moreover, meta-analysis suggested a nonsignificant improvement in Standardized Patient Evaluation of Eye Dryness (SPEED) scores after IPL with MGX at the <1-month follow-up (SMD = -1.35; CI: -1.70 to -1.01), up-to-6-month follow-up (SMD = -1.68; CI: -1.93 to -1.43), and >6-month follow-up (SMD = -2.04; CI: -2.40 to -1.68) groups. Meta-analysis also indicated a nonsignificant improvement in Schirmer's test values at the up-to-2-month follow-up (SMD = -0.27; CI: -0.66 to 0.12), up-to-6-month follow-up (SMD = 0.04; CI: -0.25 to 0.33), and >6-month follow-up (SMD = -0.01; CI: -0.31 to 0.28) groups.

The results suggested a significant increase in TBUT and a nonsignificant increase in SPEED and Schirmer's test values at all follow-up periods post-treatment. Ultimately, IPL with MGX appears to be a promising therapy for MGD.