This rates 11 WOWs on a scale of 1 to 10.
Seriously, on the face of it this looks like one of the most significant dry eye studies I've ever come across since I started blogging, no exaggeration. It is basically saying that contact lens wear slowly kills your meibomian glands. Well, gee, that would explain a lot. No doubt it's not that simple, of course.
I am feeling very anxious to see this followed up with additional carefully designed studies. Like Baylor, Schepens, some of those places.
Contact Lens Wear Is Associated with Decrease of Meibomian Glands.
Ophthalmology. 2009 Jan 21.
Arita R, Itoh K, Inoue K, Kuchiba A, Yamaguchi T, Amano S.
PURPOSE: Approximately 30% to 50% of contact lens (CL) wearers report dry eye symptoms. Meibomian gland dysfunction has been recognized as a possible cause of CL-related dry eye. This study investigated the influence of CL wear on the meibomian glands using a newly developed meibographic technique.
DESIGN: Cross-sectional observational case series.
PARTICIPANTS: Contact lens wearers (n = 121; 47 men, 74 women; mean age+/-standard deviation, 31.8+/-8.0 years) and healthy volunteers (n = 137; 71 men, 66 women; mean age+/-standard deviation, 31.4+/-15.1 years).
METHODS: The following tests were performed: slit-lamp examinations of the eyelids, corneal and conjunctival staining using fluorescein, measurement of the tear film breakup time, evaluation of the meibomian glands using noncontact meibography, and measurement of tear production using the Schirmer I test. Partial or complete loss of the meibomian glands was scored for each eyelid using 4 grades (meiboscores): grade 0 (no loss of meibomian glands) through grade 3 (the area characterized by gland dropout was more than 66% of the total area containing the meibomian glands). The meiboscores for the upper and lower eyelids were summed for each subject.
MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Score of meibomian gland changes (meiboscore), tear film breakup time, and Schirmer test value.
RESULTS: The meiboscore was significantly higher (P<0.0001) in CL wearers (mean, 1.72; 95% confidence interval, 1.47-1.96) than in the control group (mean, 0.96; 95% confidence interval, 0.73-1.19). The average meiboscore of CL wearers was similar to that of a 60- to 69-year-old age group from the normal population. A significant positive correlation was observed between the duration of CL wear and the meiboscore.
CONCLUSIONS: Contact lens wear is associated with a decrease in the number of functional meibomian glands. This decrease is proportional to the duration of CL wear. FINANCIAL DISCLOSURE(S): Proprietary or commercial disclosure may be found after the references.
Hm. I wonder what the financial disclosure is about. I have a hard time picturing any contact lens companies funding a study of this nature.
2 comments:
I just looked at the paper- here is the financial disclosure:
"Drs Arita and Amano are applying for a patent for the meibography system used in this study.
(This is discussed in the paper: "The authors have developed a noncontact, patient-friendly
meibographic technique using an infrared filter and an infrared
charge-coupled device (CCD) camera, which enables performance
of quick and thorough examinations for morphologic changes in meibomian glands throughout the eye.
Aha - thank you browneyes. I really want to see better MG diagnostic techniques/technologies in common use out there. Wish I had a nickel for everyone who has told me "Well the first five doctors said my MGs 'look OK to them' and then so-and-so pressed on some said said nothing's coming out."
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