Ocular surface analysis: A comparison between the LipiView^® II and IDRA^®

Area of Science:

• Ophthalmology
• Medical Imaging
• Ocular Surface Disease

Background:

• Meibomian gland dysfunction (MGD) is a common cause of evaporative dry eye.
• Accurate assessment of meibomian gland dropout and blinking patterns is crucial for MGD diagnosis and management.
• Ocular surface analyzers like LipiView II (LVII) and IDRA provide quantitative data on the ocular surface.

Purpose of the Study:

• To compare the lipid layer thickness (LLT), meibomian gland (MG) dropout rates, and partial blink rates (PBR) between the LipiView II (LVII) and IDRA ocular surface analyzers.
• To determine if these devices can be used interchangeably for ocular surface assessments.

Main Methods:

• A cross-sectional observational study involving 47 participants.
• Lipid layer thickness, MG dropout percentages, and PBR were measured from both eyes using LVII and IDRA.
• Image acquisition of the inferior eyelid was performed in a random order for both devices.

Main Results:

• No significant difference was found in LLT between LVII and IDRA.
• A significant difference was observed in MG dropout percentages (LVII: 36.51% ± 17.53; IDRA: 45.36% ± 21.87; p=0.003).
• Significant differences were also found in PBR (LVII: 0.51 ± 0.37; IDRA: 0.23 ± 0.27; p<0.001).

Conclusions:

• LVII and IDRA demonstrate comparable measurements for LLT.
• Significant discrepancies exist between LVII and IDRA for MG dropout and PBR assessments.
• These devices should not be used interchangeably for evaluating MG dropout and PBR in clinical practice.