Treatment of Meibomian Gland Dysfunction Prior to Cataract Surgery

The primary endpoint is the mean change in total meibomian gland score in the Pre-treatment group compared to the Untreated group from Baseline after cataract surgery.

Meibomian gland assessment was performed to evaluate the function of the meibomian glands based on the secretion characteristics from the gland orifices along the lower eyelid. Under a slit-lamp biomicrosope, the gland orifices were evaluated using a handheld instrument, Meibomian Gland Evaluator. This instrument provided a standardized method of applying the same amount of pressure and for each eye to ensure measurement consistency. A total of 15 glands were evaluated including five glands each in the temporal, central and nasal regions of the lower eyelid. For each gland, secretion characteristics were graded as 3 (clear liquid), 2 (cloudy liquid), 1 (inspissated/toothpaste consistency) and 0 (no secretion). The total meibomian gland score is the sum of the grades for all 15 glands with a range of 0 to 45.

Assess for reduction in dry eye symptoms in symptomatic contact lens after LipiFlow treatment in comparison to an untreated control using Standard Patient Evaluation of Eye Dryness (SPEED) questionnaire. It was defined as the mean change in SPEED score in the LF Treatment group compared to Control group from Baseline to 3 Months. The symptoms assessed are dryness, grittiness / scratchiness; soreness / irritation; burning / watering; and eye fatigue. Symptom frequency is on a scale of: 0 (never), 1(sometimes), 2 (often) and 3 (constant). Symptom severity is on a scale of: 0 (no problems), 1 (tolerable-not perfect but not uncomfortable), 2 (uncomfortable-irritating but does not interfere with my day), 3 (bothersome-irritating and interferes with my day) and 4 (intolerable-unable to perform my daily tasks). SPEED score is calculated as sum of frequency and severity scores for symptoms over a range from 0 to 28. A lower SPEED score represents less frequent and/or less severe symptoms.

Dry eye symptoms assessed using the OSDI questionnaire are sensitivity to light, grittiness, pain or soreness, blurred vision and poor vision. The assessment considers the frequency that problems with the eyes limit performance in reading, driving at night, working with a computer or bank machine, and watching television. Also, the frequency that eyes feel uncomfortable is assessed in windy conditions, areas with low humidity, and air-conditioned areas. The frequency scale is: 0 (none of the time), 1 (some of the time), 2 (half of the time), 3 (most of the time) and 4 (all of the time). The subject can answer not applicable (N/A) if the subject did not experience the situation or condition in the past week. Total OSDI score is calculated as the sum of frequency scores for all symptoms multiplied by 25 and divided by the number of questions answered with a range from 0 to 100. A lower OSDI score represents less disability from dry eye symptoms.

The National Eye Institute Visual Function Questionnaire (NEI-VFQ) evaluates frequency or severity of a symptoms and the effect on activities of daily living.

The questionnaire has an overall score and 12 subscale scores for general health, general vision, ocular pain, difficulty with near vision activities, difficulty with distance vision activities, social functioning limitations due to vision, mental functioning limitations due to vision, role limitations due to vision, dependency on others due to vision, driving difficulties, color vision and peripheral vision.

The NEI-VFQ scores range from 0 to 100 with lower scores indicating more symptoms or difficulty with activities of daily living. The questionnaire is scored by recoding responses to set values on a 0 to 100 scale such that the lowest value is set to 0 and the highest value is set to 100. The overall score is the average of vision subscale scores, excluding general health question.

Meibomian gland assessment was performed to evaluate the function of the meibomian glands based on the secretion characteristics from the gland orifices along the lower eyelid at the visits. Under a slit-lamp biomicrosope, the gland orifices were evaluated using a handheld instrument, Meibomian Gland Evaluator, to apply gentle pressure along the eyelid margin. This instrument provided a standardized method of applying the same amount of pressure at each visit and for each eye to ensure measurement consistency.

The number of meibomian glands yielding liquid secretion (MGYLS) (i.e., cloudy or clear liquid with a grade of 2 or 3) was counted out of the 15 glands assessed with a range of 0 to 15. A higher total meibomian gland score or higher number of MGYLS reflects less meibomian gland dysfunction.

The Investigator or designee measures tear break-up time (TBUT) under a slit-lamp biomicroscope following instillation of fluorescein dye in the eye using the Dry Eye Test (DET) method.

Tear film break-up is defined as the first observed break-up of the tear film following the third blink. Using a stopwatch to record the time, start the stopwatch as soon as the subject opens his/her eyes after the third blink and stop the stopwatch when the first break-up of the tear film is observed.

Any values recorded as greater than 20 seconds were converted to 20 seconds in the analysis. Three separate measurements were taken for each eye and were averaged for analysis. A higher tear break-up time indicates better tear film stability.