Current and emerging treatment options for meibomian gland dysfunction

Meibomian gland dysfunction (MGD) is one of the common ocular surface diseases in clinics.The pathogenesis, diagnosis and treatment of MGD have been the clinical research focus and challenge over the years.The traditional physical treatments for MGD consist of lid hygiene, warm compress and massage.The traditional medical treatments for MGD consist of artificial tears, topical and systemic anti-inflammatory agents and antibiotics.However, each treatment above has its deficiency because of transient and limited curative effects.With people's further acknowledgement of MGD, different kinds of treatment options have emerged.The emerging physical treatments include the LipiFlow thermal pulsation system, intense pulsed light, intraductal meibomian gland probing.The emerging medical treatments include N-acetyl-cysteine, omega-3 essential fatty acids and hormone.This review focused on wide-used and current emerging treatment options above, aiming to help clinicians to select appropriate treatments and provide reference for further study on MGD. Key words: Meibomian gland dysfunction; Physical treatment; Medical treatment; Emerging treatment