How do you tackle the leading cause of dry eye disease? Mila Ioussifova, OD, CNS, FAAO, FOWNS, and Rana Taji, OD, MSc, FAAO, answered this question in their lecture, “From Expressions to Probing - Take Your MGD Management To The Next Level.” The lecture occurred 11 a.m. yesterday.

“Understanding the pathophysiology of MGD and recognizing its inflammatory component vs. obstructive causes is essential for selecting effective treatments,” Dr. Ioussifova  said of her lecture. “This knowledge helps in choosing appropriate interventions, such as thermal, radiofrequency, light-based therapies, or intraductal probing.”

The course explored MGD’s pathophysiology and diagnosis, and in-office tools for managing patients who have the condition.

Pathophysiology and diagnosis
To start, the lecture covered the incidence and prevalence of MGD, including comorbidities and risk factors. This section of the discussion also focused on the real-life impact of MGD and how it affects those diagnosed with the condition. Additionally, the differences between obstructive and inflammatory MGD were reviewed. Incidentally, eyelid telangiectasia, ocular rosacea, and blepharitis are indicative of the inflammatory condition.

Regarding diagnosis, grading the health of the meibomian glands, including structure vs. function, assessing the expressibility and quality of gland secretions, and using meibography to qualitatively and quantitatively determine structural loss were discussed.

In-office tools
In terms of in-office tools, thermal treatments, radiofrequency, light-based treatments, low-level light therapy, and intraductal probing were covered. Additionally, the diagnostic findings to assist in determining which treatment modality to use and the frequency of each treatment were discussed. OM