Therapeutic Efficacy and Safety of Intense Pulsed Light for Meibomian Gland Dysfunction in Patients with Chronic Ocular Graft-Versus-Host Disease

• Published in: Ocular immunology and inflammation 2024-10, Vol.32 (8), p.1599-1608
• Main Authors: Song, Xi, Chen, Ziyan, Li, Jing, Wu, Shaowen, Liang, Lingyi
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Adult; Aged; Chronic Disease; Dry Eye Syndromes - etiology; Dry Eye Syndromes - physiopathology; Dry Eye Syndromes - therapy; Female; Follow-Up Studies; Graft vs Host Disease - therapy; Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation - adverse effects; Humans; Intense Pulsed Light Therapy - methods; Male; Meibomian Gland Dysfunction - diagnosis; Meibomian Gland Dysfunction - therapy; Meibomian Glands - metabolism; Middle Aged; Retrospective Studies; Tears - metabolism; Tears - physiology; Treatment Outcome; Young Adult
• ISSN: 0927-3948; 1744-5078; 1744-5078
• DOI: 10.1080/09273948.2023.2266763

To evaluate the efficacy and safety of intense pulsed light combined with meibomian gland expression (IPL-MGX) for treating meibomian gland dysfunction (MGD) associated with chronic ocular graft-versus-host disease (oGVHD). This retrospective study included 18 patients (18 eyes) with Fitzpatrick skin type ≤ IV, who underwent 3 to 8 sessions of IPL-MGX. Dry eye symptomology, ocular surface parameters, and adverse events were evaluated.  Of 18 eyes, 83.3% and 66.7% showed severe oGVHD and severe MGD, respectively. At 4 weeks after the final session, significant improvements in the OSDI ( < 0.001), SPEED ( = 0.001), meibum expressibility ( < 0.001), and meibum quality ( = 0.016) were observed. At 12 weeks after, the OSDI ( = 0.009), SPEED ( = 0.002), and meibum expressibility ( = 0.008) significantly improved. No adverse events owing to IPL were reported. IPL-MGX may improve the ocular symptoms, ameliorate meibomian gland secretion, and is considered as a safe treatment for MGD in oGVHD patients.