Abstract
Purpose:
To study the relationship between meibomian gland parameters and systemic lipid levels in an elderly, predominantly male population.
Methods:
Patients with normal eyelid and corneal anatomy were prospectively recruited from the Miami VAMC eye clinic. Patients underwent a complete ocular surface examination including assessment of meibomian gland (MG) parameters. The main outcome measures were the correlations between meibomian gland parameters and systemic lipid levels.
Results:
The mean age of the 136 patients was 65 (standard deviation 11); 90% were male, 52% white, and 30% Hispanic. A large percentage of the population (86%, n=117) had abnormal MG parameters defined as a score of 2 or greater (in the more severely affected eye) on any of the studies MG parameters (by subtype: vascularity 19%, plugging 69%, drop-out 48%, abnormal quality 60%). All associations between MG parameters and systemic lipid layers (total cholesterol, high-density lipoprotein, low-density lipoprotein, triglycerides) were weak and most were not significant. The only significant association was a negative one between triglyceride levels and meibum quality (Spearman’s rho -0.19, p-value=0.03).
Conclusions:
Meibomian gland dysfunction is a frequent finding in an elderly, predominantly male population and does not seem to be related to systemic lipid levels.