Meibomian Gland Dysfunction2025-04-10T07:55:21+00:00

Meibomian Gland Dysfunction Treatment

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An overview of meibomian gland dysfunction (MGD)

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Everything you need to know about meibomian gland dysfunction (MGD)

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Meibomian gland dysfunction (MGD) is a common eye condition that affects around 35.5% of people. It refers to inflammation of the eyelids and is by far the most common cause of dry eyes, but many people don’t realise they have it.

The meibomian glands are located on the edge of your eyelids. They secrete oil that prevents tears from evaporating too quickly by coating the eyes and making a tear film. When this function no longer works as it should, you become susceptible to dry eye disease and MGD.

Typically, people aged 50 years or older are most at risk of developing MGD, with there being a slightly increased risk for women who wear eye makeup. Women with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) may be at greater risk, as well as post-menopausal women.

There are a few different signs and symptoms of meibomian gland dysfunction. They can include:

  • Flaky, red skin on the eyelids
  • Sore eyes that constantly feel dry
  • Difficulty opening your eyes in the morning as they’re stuck together
  • Blurred vision
  • Pressure behind the eyes
  • Watery eyes
  • Worsening of your symptoms when using screens, being outside, or when you’re tired
  • Swelling of one or both of the eyelids

You may not experience all of these symptoms at once, but that doesn’t mean you don’t have MGD.

Each eyelid contains a row of meibomian glands. Their job is to secrete the critical oil layer of the tears.

In MGD, the secretions from the meibomian glands become thick and viscous, so not enough is secreted in the tear film. This creates an imbalance and unhealthy tear film that is ineffective in moisturising the eyes. This leads to dryness, blurred vision, redness and pain.

There are three essential layers in our tears. They must all be present in balanced quantities for our tears to moisturise the eyes effectively.

  • The innermost layer
  • The aqueous layer
  • The outermost layer
  • The outermost layer is the layer that is deficient in the oil that is secreted by the meibomian glands.

As with all health conditions, some risk factors can make you more likely to develop meibomian gland dysfunction. Risk factors can include:

  • Age — your number of meibomian glands will decrease as you get older, leading to dysfunction
  • Wearing contact lenses regularly
  • Ethnicity — Asian people are more likely to develop MGD

Some medical conditions could increase your likelihood of developing MGD too, including:

  • High cholesterol
  • Allergic conjunctivitis
  • Bacterial infections
  • Autoimmune disorders such as lupus, rheumatoid arthritis, Sjögren’s syndrome and rosacea

It’s important to note that certain medications may cause issues with how well your meibomian glands produce oils too. This can include hormone replacement therapy (HRT), androgen-reducing medication, and retinoids used to treat acne and prevent signs of ageing.

These causes may be why some post-menopausal women are more susceptible to MGD, as they’re more likely to use HRT and anti-ageing retinoids.

Meibomian gland dysfunction can last from a few weeks to a lot longer; it’s not something that can be easily cured without medical intervention. You can ease your symptoms via home remedies, but they may not reach the root cause.

Untreated meibomian gland dysfunction can lead to complications like blepharitis (a condition in which your eyes become inflamed and swollen). Most commonly, MGD causes dry eye disease and increases your risk of infection after eye surgery.

This is why it is so important to get MGD diagnosed and treated by an ophthalmologist at Eye Clinic London. Leaving your condition untreated will only cause it to worsen over time, and eventually, the treatments necessary won’t be so easy.

Omega-3 capsules

Taking a high dose of Omega-3 oils (such as fish oil) helps MGD and other dry eye conditions significantly. There are two essential benefits. The essential fatty acids in Omega-3 capsules are crucial in producing potent anti-inflammatory prostaglandins. This anti-inflammatory effect reduces the inflammation that occurs in blepharitis and other dry eye conditions. The high dose of Omega-3 fatty acids also improves the health of the oil secreted by the meibomian glands. That leads to a healthier and more effective tear film and more comfortable eyes.

High doses of Omega-3 fatty acids are required to achieve a significant improvement in MGD and dry eye. General pharmacy-bought fish oil capsules are rarely potent enough to help dry eyes. Dr Cronin will suggest an appropriate brand and dose depending on the severity of your condition.

Dry eyes make eyes dryer

When your eyes are dry, the tears become too salty. This high salt concentration can damage some of the cells that help to produce tears, thus making your eyes drier. It is important to use lubricating drops to reduce the salt concentration and break this cycle. Your eyes need a chance to recover and return to a healthy, comfortable state.

Drink more water

Remember that if you are dehydrated, your eyes will be as well. So make sure you drink plenty of water and avoid excessive tea and coffee.

Control your environment

The environment around you plays a significant role in dry eye treatment. Wind, fans, cold air-conditioning and warm heating all have a drying effect, which means that you will have excessive evaporation of your tears.

Increasing the relative humidity and protecting your eyes from the direct flow of air will reduce the drying of your tears.

Follow these simple steps:

  • Wear glasses or wraparound sunglasses when outside in the breeze, this will stop the wind blowing directly into your eyes. If you need spectacles, choose frames with thicker arms to “enclose” your eyes more and protect them from the wind.
  • Ensure you are not near a fan or air-conditioning vent. The ‘gentle’ flow of air from heating or cooling systems is not gentle on your eyes – it can be very drying. Create a barrier between your eyes and the flow of air by moving your chair or desk. That is also important in your sleep, as many people with dry eyes sleep with their eyes very slightly open.
  • Consider using plants to raise the humidity in your work area. Plants not only form an excellent barrier to stop the direct flow of dry air-conditioning air into your eyes, but they also raise the local humidity. Pick water-loving plants with big leaves as they will release more moisture into the atmosphere than a cactus!
  • Make an oasis. Florists use a product called ‘oasis’ or floral foam in flower arrangements. It is excellent for creating a large surface area for water to evaporate and raise the local humidity. Put some oasis into a bowl of water with most of the oasis sitting out of the water. That will cause the water to evaporate and raise the humidity. You can still put real or artificial flowers in the foam to make it look appealing.
  • Avoid smoking and smoky environments.

We will closely examine your eyelids to inspect the meibomian gland openings. Applying pressure to your eyelid will enable us to observe the contents of the meibomian glands and enable us to determine if you have meibomian gland dysfunction.

At Eye Clinic London, we offer the latest treatments for meibomian gland dysfunction that can get to the root cause of your issues.

Our Lumenis Optima M22 IPL (intense pulsed light) treatment can help eradicate MGD by restoring your tear film layer — helping to alleviate and fix dry eye disease too. Our quick, 15-minute sessions can provide long-lasting results and let you put meibomian gland dysfunction behind you once and for all.

Book a consultation at Eye Clinic London today — our expert ophthalmologists will be more than happy to help.

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About the expert

Mr Hamada | Consultant Ophthalmologist and Corneal Surgeon

MD, MSc, DO (hons), FRCSEd, FRCOphth I am Samer, founder and consultant ophthalmic surgeon with over 20 years’ experience in ophthalmology. I am a world-renowned specialist in cornea, cataract and refractive surgery. I’m not only a leading surgeon but also the only dual fellowship trained in corneal diseases in children from reputable institutions in the UK. At Eye Clinic London I work closely with other consultant ophthalmologists, optometrists and orthoptists to achieve the best outcomes for our patients. Our main aim is to make sure our patients get the safest and best treatments available to them. We put your safety before anything else so you can rest assured that if you choose us you will be in the best and safest hands.