Evaluation of dry eye and meibomian gland dysfunction with meibography in patients with rosacea.

Purpose: To evaluate the dry eye tests and meibography of patients with ocular rosacea.

Methods: Thirty-six eyes of 18 patients with ocular rosacea (group 1) and 38 eyes of 19 healthy individuals (group 2) were enrolled. Besides full-eye examination, corneal and conjunctival fluorescein staining and Oxford scoring, tear film break-up time, Schirmer 1 test, ocular surface disease index score assessment, and evaluation of upper and lower eyelid meibomian glands using infrared captures of an optical coherence tomography (OCT) (Spectralis HRA+OCT; Heidelberg Engineering) device were performed (grade 0: no loss of meibomian glands, grade 1: gland dropout area <1/3 of the total meibomian glands, grade 2: gland dropout area 1/3 to 2/3 of the total meibomian glands, grade 3: gland dropout >2/3 of the total meibomian glands).

Results: The mean ages of group 1 and group 2 were 50.2 ± 9.5 (range, 32-65), and 46.3 ± 14.1 years (range, 25-70), respectively (P = 0.225). No significant difference in best-corrected visual acuity and meiboscores of upper eyelids were detected in between groups. Schirmer 1 and tear film break-up time in group 1 were significantly lower than in group 2 (P = 0.005, P < 0.001, respectively). Ocular surface disease index and Oxford scale scores and meiboscores of lower and total (upper + lower) eyelids were significantly higher in group 1 than in group 2 (P = 0.04, P = 0.018, P < 0.001, P = 0.03, respectively).

Conclusions: Ocular rosacea causes dry eye and significant meibomian gland loss that can objectively be demonstrated with meibography. The infrared camera of OCT-that is widely found in many ophthalmology departments-might be used to evaluate meibomian gland dysfunction in these individuals.