Search

On the other hand, Giannaccare et al. [[192]] conducted a study on patients with MGD having subjective symptoms (OSDI>= 13) and at least one clinical sign of MGD, such as terminal ductal obstruction, plugging of the meibomian glands, turbid secretions, inflammation and swelling of the eyelid margins, or poor meibum secretions. One RCT [[423]] and two observational studies [[429]] assessed improvements in meibomian gland orifices and surrounding findings and report that minocycline oral administration can improve meibomian gland orifices and surrounding findings in patients with MGD and meibomitis. Additionally, Ibrahim et al. [[279]] show that meibomian gland acinar density, shortest and longest acinar diameter, and inflammatory cell density were significantly associated with BUT, fluorescein staining score, Rose Bengal staining, decreased lipid expression from the meibomian gland orifices, meibomian gland dropout, and ocular surface tear evaporation rate. In 22 patients without atrophy of the meibomian gland, after treatment with the cleansing agent, meibography indicated significant improvements in the meibomian gland orifices/surrounding findings (eyelid margin vascularity), quality of meibum, and BUT. [Extracted from the article]

Purpose: Tear fluid (TF) contains a variety of electrolytes that exhibit a strong correlation with its osmotic pressure. These electrolytes are also related to the etiology of diseases on ocular surfaces such as dry eye syndromes and keratopathy. Although positive ions (cations) in TF have been investigated to understand their roles, negative ions (anions) have hardly been studied because applicable analytical methods are restricted to a few kinds. In this study, we established a method to analyze the anions involved in a sufficiently small amount of TF for in situ diagnosis of a single subject., Methods: Twenty healthy volunteers (10 men and 10 women) were recruited. Anions in their TF were measured on a commercial ion chromatograph (IC-2010, Tosoh, Japan). Tear fluid (5 μL or more) was collected from each subject with a glass capillary, diluted with 300 μL of pure water, and conveyed to the chromatograph. We successfully monitored the concentrations of bromide, nitrate, phosphate, and sulfate anions (Br - , NO 3- , HPO 42- , and SO 42- , respectively) in TF., Results: Br - and SO 42- were universally detected in all samples, whereas NO 3- was found in 35.0% and HPO 42- in 30.0% of them. The mean concentrations (mg/L) of each anion were Br - , 4.69 ± 0.96; NO 3- , 0.80 ± 0.68; HPO 42- , 17.48 ± 7.60; and SO 42- , 3.34 ± 2.54. As for SO 42- , no sex differences or diurnal variations were observed., Conclusions: We established an efficient protocol to quantitate various inorganic anions involved in a small amount of TF using a commercially available instrument. This is the first step to elucidate the role of anions in TF., Competing Interests: The authors have no funding or conflicts of interest to disclose., (Copyright © 2023 Wolters Kluwer Health, Inc. All rights reserved.)

Objective: To evaluate the interaction between tear supplements and soft contact lenses (SCLs), we measured the contact angles (CAs) on the SCLs using commercially available tear supplements., Methods: We used four daily disposable conventional hydrogel lenses (etafilcon A, etafilcon A+ polyvinylpyrrolidone, nelfilcon A, and omafilcon A containing 2-methacryloyloxyethyl phosphorylcholine [MPC]) and four silicone hydrogel lenses (narafilcon A, senofilcon A, delefilcon A, and stenfilcon A). The CAs on the SCLs were measured using a sessile drop technique and four different types of sessile drops, including saline, artificial tears, lubricants containing 2-MPC (MPC solution), and 0.1% hyaluronate acid (HA)., Results: The CA values associated with the silicone hydrogel lenses were significantly (P<0.001) lower than those associated with the conventional hydrogel lenses with all four solutions. The mean CA of 0.1% HA was significantly (P<0.01) higher than that of saline. The mean CA of the MPC solution was significantly (P<0.01) lower than that of saline with the conventional hydrogel lenses but significantly (P<0.05) higher than that of saline with the silicone hydrogel lenses., Conclusions: The CAs associated with the silicone hydrogel SCLs were higher with the use of the MPC solutions and HA in vitro. The measured CAs may depend on ingredient agents, surface treatment of the CLs, and components of the tear supplements., Competing Interests: The authors have no conflicts of interest to disclose., (Copyright © 2020 Contact Lens Association of Ophthalmologists.)