Abstract
Purpose :
To compare the warming and cooling behavior of the eyelids and ocular surface using two eyelid-warming devices to treat MGD.
Methods :
This was a prospective, comparative study. All patients received two eyelid-warming therapies at different time points, using an eye mask and MiBo Thermoflo®, for 10 minutes. Thermography evaluation was performed with an infrared camera, temperature (in celsius degrees, °C) was recorded at different moments: before warming therapy, at middle of the session (5 minutes), at the end of therapy (10 minutes) and every minute for 4 minutes after treatment (cooling phase). Temperature was evaluated in upper eyelid, lower eyelid, central cornea, nasal conjunctiva, and temporal conjunctiva. Room temperature was controlled.
Results :
Twenty eyes were analyzed. Temperature at the MiBo® tip was 46.3 throughout the session, and at the eye mask surface was 41.2 at the beginning and 39.9 at the end of the session. Mean temperature in tissues at 10 minutes with eye mask and MiBo were as follows: cornea 37.7 and 39.1 (p=0.002), upper eyelid 38.4 and 39.7 (p=0.014), lower eyelid 37.7 and 37.6 (p=0.124), nasal conjunctiva 37.6 and 39.0 (p=0.017), temporal conjunctiva 37.5 and 38.1 (p=0.312).
The increase in temperature from the beginning of treatment until the end, with eye mask and MiBo were as follows: cornea: 3.8 and 4.6 (p=0.002), upper eyelid: 3.7 and 4.4 (p=0.014), lower eyelid: 3.6 and 3.0 (p=0.124), nasal conjunctiva: 3.1 and 3.8 (p=0.017), and temporal conjunctiva: 3.4 and 3.6 (p=0.312). Mean temperature in tissues 1 minute after end of treatment with eye mask and MiBo were as follow: Cornea: 35.8 and 35.8, upper eyelid: 36.6 and 36.4, lower eyelid: 36.3 and 34.8, nasal conjunctiva: 36.1 and 36.4, temporal conjunctiva: 35.9 and 35.6. Mean reduction in celsius degrees as compared with final values at 10 minutes of treatment with eye mask and MiBo were as follows: Cornea: -1.9 and -3.3 (p<0.001), upper eyelid: -1.8 and -3.3 (p<0.001), lower eyelid: -1.5 and -2.8 (p<0.001), nasal conjunctiva: -1.5 and -2.6 (p=0.017), temporal conjunctiva: -1.6 and -2.5 (p<0.001).
Conclusions :
Both treatments increased temperature in eyelids and ocular surface, however it varies between the tissues evaluated. Mibo generates greater temperature raises than eye mask, but within safe limits to the cornea. At 1 minute of cooling phase both treatments reached tissue temperatures similar to basal values.
This abstract was presented at the 2023 ARVO Annual Meeting, held in New Orleans, LA, April 23-27, 2023.