Advisor(s)
Kelly Nichols
Committee Member(s)
Edmund Arthur
Jillian Ziemanski
School
School of Optometry
Document Type
Thesis
Department (new version)
Vision Science
Date of Award
1-6-2025
Abstract
BACKGROUND: Meibomian Gland Dysfunction (MGD) is a primary contributing factor in up to 86% of all dry eye disease. A common metric for assessing MGD is the Meibomian Gland Score (MGS), a summative scale which incorporates meibum expressibility and quality. Three deficiencies exist within the literature on MGD: 1) most research has been performed on an older population; 2) diagnostic criteria are variable across studies and 3) few studies have tracked changes over time. OBJECTIVES: 1) Evaluate the prevalence of MGD and dry eye disease in a population of young adults in an academic program; 2) establish characteristic values for MGS in this population; 3) determine if MGS can simplify MGD diagnosis; 4) evaluate risk factors associated with worse gland secretion; 5) describe the impact of gland secretion on ocular surface parameters and symptomatology, and 6) investigate how gland secretion, symptomatology, and ocular surface parameters change over a two-year period. METHODS: 104 students (24 ± 1.5 years at baseline) in an optometric academic program were assessed at baseline and 24 ± 4 months. Ocular surface parameters included MGS, fluorescein tear break-up time (TBUT), lipid layer thickness (LLT), corneal fluorescein staining (CFS), conjunctival lissamine green staining (LGS), and lid-wiper epitheliopathy (LWE). Symptomatology was measured using the Standardized Patient Evaluation of Eye Dryness (SPEED®) questionnaire. RESULTS: At baseline, the prevalence of MGD and dry eye disease was 41% and 57%, respectively. Mean MGS was 22.5 ± 13.6. Total MGS ≥ 29 or central MGS (cMGS) ≥ 8 showed high concordance with the International Workshop on Meibomian Gland Dysfunction criteria. Risk factors for worse gland secretion included male gender, age, and hormonal birth control. Impaired meibum secretion was associated with worse TBUT, CFS, and LGS. Nearly all ocular surface parameters and symptomatology worsened over a two-year time period. CONCLUSION: MGD and dry eye disease are highly prevalent in this population, indicating that neither are confined to older patients. As the ocular surface tends to deteriorate significantly over time in younger individuals, early diagnosis and intervention is warranted. MGS and cMGS may be useful metrics for clinical practice, epidemiological research, and interventional studies.
ProQuest ID
Recommended Citation
Reynard, Zachary, "Meibomian Gland Secretion And Ocular Surface Characteristics In A Young Adult Population" (2025). All ETDs from UAB. 7269.
https://digitalcommons.library.uab.edu/etd-collection/7269
