Investigative Ophthalmology & Visual Science Cover Image for Volume 65, Issue 7
June 2024
Volume 65, Issue 7
Open Access
ARVO Annual Meeting Abstract  |   June 2024
Modeling meibum secretion: Alternatives for obstructive Meibomian Gland Dysfunction (MGD)
Shangbang Luo; Gagik P. Djotyan; Rohan Joshi; Tibor Juhasz; Donald Brown; James V. Jester
Author Affiliations & Notes
  • Shangbang Luo
    Department of Ophthalmology, University of California Irvine, Irvine, California, United States
    Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of California Irvine, Irvine, California, United States
  • Gagik P. Djotyan
    Institute for Particle & Nuclear Physics, Wigner Research Center, Budapest, Budapest, Hungary
  • Rohan Joshi
    Department of Ophthalmology, University of California Irvine, Irvine, California, United States
    Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of California Irvine, Irvine, California, United States
  • Tibor Juhasz
    Department of Ophthalmology, University of California Irvine, Irvine, California, United States
    Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of California Irvine, Irvine, California, United States
  • Donald Brown
    Department of Ophthalmology, University of California Irvine, Irvine, California, United States
  • James V. Jester
    Department of Ophthalmology, University of California Irvine, Irvine, California, United States
    Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of California Irvine, Irvine, California, United States
  • Footnotes
    Commercial Relationships   Shangbang Luo None; Gagik Djotyan None; Rohan Joshi None; Tibor Juhasz None; Donald Brown None; James Jester None
  • Footnotes
    Support  NIH/NEI R01EY021510 (JVJ), NIH/NEI P30EY034070 (JVJ), NIH/NEI R01EY030304 (TJ), Discovery Eye Foundation, RPB-203478, and the Skirball Program in Molecular Ophthalmology and Basic Science
Investigative Ophthalmology & Visual Science June 2024, Vol.65, 5767. doi:
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      Shangbang Luo, Gagik P. Djotyan, Rohan Joshi, Tibor Juhasz, Donald Brown, James V. Jester; Modeling meibum secretion: Alternatives for obstructive Meibomian Gland Dysfunction (MGD). Invest. Ophthalmol. Vis. Sci. 2024;65(7):5767.

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Abstract

Purpose : While changes in meibum quality are correlated with severity of meibomian gland dysfunction (MGD) and dry eye disease, little is known regarding the mechanics of meibum secretion. The purpose of this study was to develop a finite element model of meibum secretion and evaluate the effect of various factors that might impact meibum delivery to the ocular surface.

Methods : A finite element analysis in COMSOL 6.0 was used to simulate the flow of meibum within the gland's terminal excretory duct. Historical normal human meibum rheology data taken over the meibum melting range from fluid (35–40 °C) to solid (25–30 °C) were then used to calculate the minimum yield stress and plastic viscosity of meibum. The effects of meibum melting state, eyelid pressure and terminal duct diameter on meibum flow rates were then systematically investigated.

Results : The melting state of meibum from liquid to solid was associated with an increase in the minimum yield stress and plastic viscosity that caused an exponential decrease in meibum flow. Modeling also established that there was a linear correlation between meibum flow rate and eyelid pressure needed to express meibum and the 4th power of the terminal duct radius.

Conclusions : Our results suggest that changes in the melting state of meibum from fluid to solid, as well as changes in the radius of the terminal excretory duct and the force exerted by the eyelid can lead to dramatic decreases in the flow of meibum. Together these findings suggest alternative mechanisms for meibomian gland obstruction.

This abstract was presented at the 2024 ARVO Annual Meeting, held in Seattle, WA, May 5-9, 2024.

 

Cross-sectional distribution of the velocity maps (μm/s) and flow rates (nL/s) of meibum secretion from a meibomian gland orifice at different meibum viscosities and eyelid pressures. The gland terminal duct is moded with a radius of R = 50 μm and a length of L = 1000 μm with no-slip boundary conditions. Corresponding flow rates are shown in the center of each map.
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Cross-sectional distribution of the velocity maps (μm/s) and flow rates (nL/s) of meibum secretion from a meibomian gland orifice at different meibum viscosities and eyelid pressures. The gland terminal duct is moded with a radius of R = 50 μm and a length of L = 1000 μm with no-slip boundary conditions. Corresponding flow rates are shown in the center of each map.

Cross-sectional distribution of the velocity maps (μm/s) and flow rates (nL/s) of meibum secretion from a meibomian gland orifice at different meibum viscosities and eyelid pressures. The gland terminal duct is moded with a radius of R = 50 μm and a length of L = 1000 μm with no-slip boundary conditions. Corresponding flow rates are shown in the center of each map.

Cross-sectional distribution of the velocity maps (μm/s) and flow rates (nL/s) of meibum secretion from a meibomian gland orifice at different meibum viscosities and eyelid pressures. The gland terminal duct is moded with a radius of R = 50 μm and a length of L = 1000 μm with no-slip boundary conditions. Corresponding flow rates are shown in the center of each map.
View OriginalDownload Slide

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.
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Copyright © 2025 Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology.
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