Meibomian Gland Probing and Expression: How long has Meibomian Gland Probing and Expression been done?
January 3, 2018
Meibomian Gland Probing and Expression (MGPE) was first published in 2010 by Dr. Maskin. I have noted in a blog post previously of my experience in residency:
When I was a resident at NY Eye and Ear Infirmary that one of my attendings would come to the emergency room to ask us to pop his inspissated (clogged) meibomian glands with a 30g needle. I wish I had figured it out then that this was a pain reliever!
Since then, hundreds of patients have had probing around the world with excellent results. It is not a cure in some cases, but it can significantly help with eye pain.
Here is a paper published by some Harvard colleagues. They note that 91.4% of patients noted symptomatic improvement after the procedure. This is similar to what we have found. While there is no guarantee, we have many patients who have been thrilled with the eye pain relief of this procedure.
The next question is: how long does this pain relief last?
In my experience, it depends on the gland structure (what is the meibography grading)? Does the patient have an underlying autoimmune disease or taken Accutane in past or had radiation or chemo? What is his or her general health? How often will he or she be able to do warm compresses? How much Omega 3 is he or she taking?
These are the questions we need to answer objectively as well.
Department of Ophthalmology, Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, U.S.A.
Abstract
PURPOSE:
Obstructive meibomian gland dysfunction is a leading cause of ocular morbidity and its treatment remains a challenge. Meibomian glandprobing was initially described in 2010. Here, the authors describe a modified technique, dynamic intraductal meibomianprobing, which offers several advantages over the traditional approach including increased magnification, greater eyelid stabilization, enhanced anesthesia, and easier identification of gland orifices through the expression of meibum.
METHODS:
The authors conducted a retrospective chart review of 70 eyelids with treatment-resistant obstructive meibomian glanddysfunction undergoing dynamic intraductal meibomianprobing between January 2013 and April 2015.
RESULTS:
Immediately after the procedure, 91.4% of cases experienced symptomatic improvement, and no complications were noted.
CONCLUSIONS:
Dynamic intraductal meibomianprobing is an effective and safe treatment for obstructive meibomian gland dysfunction that is resistant to traditional therapies.
