Meibomian gland atrophy in Keratoconus: A case-control study

Area of Science:

• Ophthalmology
• Corneal Diseases
• Dry Eye Disease

Background:

• Keratoconus is a progressive corneal ectasia.
• Meibomian Gland Dysfunction (MGD) is a common cause of evaporative dry eye.
• The relationship between keratoconus and MGD requires further investigation.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the prevalence and severity of Meibomian Gland Atrophy (MGA) in patients diagnosed with keratoconus.
• To compare MGA in keratoconus patients with age- and gender-matched healthy controls.

Main Methods:

• A comparative case-control study involving 88 keratoconus eyes and 88 healthy eyes.
• Infrared meibography was used to quantify MGA via a meiboscore (0-6).
• Secondary assessments included Tear Break-Up Time (T-BUT), Lipid Layer Thickness (LLT), corneal topography, and dry eye questionnaires (OSDI, SPEED).

Main Results:

• Keratoconus eyes exhibited significantly higher MGA scores compared to healthy controls (p < 0.0001).
• Abnormal meiboscore (≥2) was found in 64.8% of keratoconus eyes versus 27.3% of controls (OR, 4.91).
• Keratoconus patients reported more severe dry eye symptoms (higher OSDI and SPEED scores) and had a higher incidence of keratitis.

Conclusions:

• Keratoconus is significantly associated with increased Meibomian Gland Atrophy.
• MGA may contribute to the dry eye symptoms experienced by keratoconus patients.
• Further research into managing MGD in keratoconus is warranted.