Meibomian Gland Dysfunction (MGD)

This week I was able to attend a clinic with Dr Malcolm McKellar who is an Ophthalmologist in Christchurch.  Malcolm specialises in diseases that affect the external surface and front part of the eye.  Namely, Malcolm is a guru in Meibomian Gland Dysfunction (MGD).  This is a type of dry eye that effects up to 50% of us!

The Meibomian glands run vertically in the eye lids, with their opening at the lid margin.  Their role is to secrete oil into the tear film which acts as the top layer of the tears to hold the tears on.  When these glands don’t work properly, a lack of oil causes Evaporative Dry Eye.

Ever wondered why your eyes stream when you go outside in the cold or wind?  It’s because your normal tears are evaporating too quickly due to lack of oil.  So really, this is dry eye!

Or have you noticed that your vision is smeary, like there is a film there that you need to blink away?  This is because your tears break up quickly leaving an irregular, rough surface to look through.  When you blink, it refreshes the surface, a bit like the windscreen of your car.

These are both two very common complaints associated with MGD.

There are many treatment options available for MGD, depending on the severity, from lipid containing lubricating drops, nutrition, therapeutic eye drops, IPL, gland expression…

If you think you are having any of these symptoms, come and see me and I can tell you about some of the tricks I have learnt recently working with Malcolm.