Safety and Efficacy of BroadBand Intense Pulsed Light Therapy for Dry Eye Disease with Meibomian Gland Dysfunction

BACKGROUND: BroadBand light intense pulsed light (BBL-IPL) therapy has shown to reduce hordeolum and blepharitis frequency. This study aims to evaluate the efficacy and safety of BBL-IPL therapy in patients with dry eye disease (DED) from meibomian gland dysfunction (MGD). METHODS: This is a retrospective, consecutive case series of 48 patients with DED from MGD who underwent BBL-IPL therapy from October 2016 to January 2019 at a single, outpatient clinic in Ontario, Canada. Clinical outcomes included first and average non-invasive keratograph tear break-up times (NIKBUT), bulbar redness (BR) scores, tear meniscus heights (TMH), visual acuity (VA) and meibograph grades. Patient-reported outcomes included the Canadian dry eye assessment (CDEA) questionnaire and patient subjective assessment (PSA) scores. Outcomes were measured at baseline and after completion of 4 monthly BBL-IPL sessions. RESULTS: The mean severity of dry eye symptoms as measured by the CDEA and PSA decreased significantly from 19.78 ± 9.62 to 12.08 ± 7.40 (p<0.001) and from 7.65 ± 1.74 to 4.77 ± 2.03 (p<0.001), respectively. Twenty-five percent of patients reported no dry eye symptoms after treatment. The meibograph grade improved significantly in both eyes (p<0.001). Approximately 71.0% and 80.1% of patients had an improved meibograph grade in the right and left eye, respectively. Near-significant improvements were observed for BR scores and VA. There was also a trend towards improved first/average NIKBUT and TMH scores. No adverse events were noted. CONCLUSION: BBL-IPL appears to be an effective and safe treatment modality in improving dry eye symptoms and meibomian gland function in patients with DED from MGD.