Systane iLux Thermal Pulsation System in the Treatment of Meibomian Gland Dysfunction: A Post-Hoc Analysis of a 12-Month, Randomized, Multicenter Study

Abstract

This study aimed to demonstrate the effectiveness of Systane iLux, a thermal pulsation device, in patients with MGD, over 12 months post-single treatment. Methods: This is a post-hoc analysis of a previous prospective, assessor-masked, parallel-group, multicenter study (NCT03956225) that compared the effectiveness and safety of iLux with LipiFlow in subjects with MGD. The original study included subjects with meibomian gland score (MGS) ≤12 in lower eyelids, Impact of Dry Eye on Everyday Life-Symptom Bother (IDEEL-SB) module score >16, and non-invasive tear break-up time (NITBUT) <10 seconds. Subjects were randomized (1:1) to receive a single bilateral treatment of iLux or LipiFlow. In this post-hoc analysis, mean changes in MGS, NITBUT (first break-up; seconds), IDEEL-SB module score, and corneal staining, from baseline to 12 months were analyzed post-single treatment with iLux. Results: Data from 119 patients (n=238 eyes) treated with iLux were analyzed. The mean±SD age of the subjects was 58.4±13.4 years, with majority being female (79.0%). MGS (mean±SD) for both eyes improved significantly from baseline to 12 months (OD [baseline:

The ILux® compared to the mechanical meibomian gland expression for the treatment of moderate and severe meibomian gland dysfunction

“…The ILux ® MGD Thermal Pulsation System is a handheld inoffice device that allows the application of localized heat and pressure while simultaneously visualizing the MGs. Previous studies have demonstrated the ability of ILux ® to alleviate signs and symptoms of dry eye in patients with MGD until one year [20,22,34] . Our study showed that one treatment session with ILux ® and five sessions of manual expression significantly reduced the signs and symptoms of MGD.…”

Eyelid Margin Disease (Blepharitis and Meibomian Gland Dysfunction): Clinical Review of Evidence-Based and Emerging Treatments

“…These sensors automatically turn off the light-emitting diodes when the inner and outer eyelid temperatures exceed 44°C and 45°C, respectively. 68,69 This device has been documented to clear meibomian gland obstruction and improve dry eye symptoms. 58,[62][63][64][65][68][69][70] The comparative evaluation of LipiFlow and Systane iLux showed that both treatments significantly improved the signs and symptoms of MGD from baseline to 4 weeks.…”

“…68,69 This device has been documented to clear meibomian gland obstruction and improve dry eye symptoms. 58,[62][63][64][65][68][69][70] The comparative evaluation of LipiFlow and Systane iLux showed that both treatments significantly improved the signs and symptoms of MGD from baseline to 4 weeks. The 2 treatments had no statistically significant differences for all effectiveness measures.…”

“…These sensors automatically turn off the light-emitting diodes when the inner and outer eyelid temperatures exceed 44°C and 45°C, respectively. 68,69 This device has been documented to clear meibomian gland obstruction and improve dry eye symptoms. 58,62–65,68–70…”

Impact of dry eye disease treatment on patient quality of life

“…4. However, the aforementioned benefits of thermal pulsation procedures were not prominent in a study conducted in 2020(206)(207)(208)(209)(210). IPL can improve the lipid layer grade, TBUT, tear film osmolarity, OSDI, and visual analog scale symptom scores.• Contact lens-related dry eye: Improvements were observed in the OSDI score, tear quality, and meibomian gland quality.2.…”