Abstract
Purpose :
Thermal treatment has been proven effective in treating blepharitis in many studies. Ultrasound, on the other hand, is also known to alleviate symptoms in other body parts and has potential to ease gland secretion in ocular tissues as well, this study aims to analyze the clinical and histological improvement of blepharitis symptoms using ultrasound therapy combined with thermal treatments.
Methods :
The study utilized a rat model with induced blepharitis and employed a device for ultrasound and thermal treatment. A 3-minute treatment per every other day was administered for two weeks. Tear break-up time (TBUT), fluorescein corneal staining (FCS), lid swelling, and telangiectasia scores were assessed every week, and immunohistochemistry (IHC) was performed on the ocular tissues to measure inflammatory cytokine levels.
Results :
Application of both ultrasound alone and with thermal treatment increased TBUT and lowered the symptom assessment scores, in statistically significant levels. Symptom assessments showed no significant differences between ultrasound alone and combined ultrasound-thermal treatment in normal eyes, but differences were observed in blepharitis-induced groups. While no significant differences were noted within experimental groups, the ultrasound-thermal treatment group showed a slight trend of better symptom improvement. No tissue damage was observed, and IHC revealed reduced inflammation in the blepharitis groups.
Conclusions :
Ultrasound treatment with or without thermal application has the potential in alleviating symptoms of blepharitis, controlling overall symptoms of eye and the level of inflammatory cytokines.
This abstract was presented at the 2024 ARVO Annual Meeting, held in Seattle, WA, May 5-9, 2024.