Table 1.
Baseline characteristics
| Characteristics | Control group (n = 30) | Treatment group (n = 40) | P |
|---|---|---|---|
| Demographics | |||
| Age (years), mean ± SD | 60.10 (12.4) | 57.18 (13.34) | 0.353b |
| Sex, male/female (%) | 3 (10) / 27 (90) | 11 (27.5) / 29 (72.5) | 0.07c |
| Race, Caucasian (%) | 30 (100) | 40 (100) | - |
| Fitzpatrick skin type | |||
| I | 3 (7.5) | 5 (12.5) | 0.621c |
| II | 8 (26.7) | 11 (27.5) | 0.331c |
| III | 15 (50) | 22 (55) | 0.247c |
| IV | 4 (13.3) | 2 (5) | 0.784c |
| Related to DED | |||
| OSDI, mean ± SD | 43.46 (21.54) | 42.71 (21.43) | 0.885b |
| MGD grade, mean ± SD* | 2 (0.41) | 2.1 (0.44) | 0.099b |
| Contact lens wearer, n (%) | 13 (43.4) | 17 (42.5) | 0.944c |
| Refractive surgery, n (%) | 7 (23.3) | 6 (15) | 0.375c |
| Cataracts surgery, n (%) | 15 (50) | 15 (37.5) | 0.296c |
| Systemic disease, n (%) | |||
| Arterial hypertension | 7 (23.3) | 12 (30) | 0.535c |
| Diabetes mellitus | 1 (3.3) | 1 (2.5) | 0.836c |
| Rheumatoid arthritis | 7 (23.3) | 6 (15) | 0.375c |
| Rosacea | 2 (6.7) | 2 (5) | 0.766c |
| Sjögren's syndrome | 0 (0) | 1 (2.5) | 0.383c |
| Thyroid disease | 10 (33.3) | 7 (17.5) | 0.126c |
| Medications, n (%) | |||
| Antidepressants | 10 (33.3) | 9 (22.5) | 0.313c |
| Anxiolytics | 10 (33.3) | 9 (22.5) | 0.313c |
| Arterial hypertension drugs | 7 (23.3) | 12 (30) | 0.535c |
| Antihistamines | 1 (3.3) | 7 (17.5) | 0.065c |
| Antineoplastic drugs | 3 (10) | 1 (2.5) | 0.181c |
| Hormonal therapy | 4 (13.3) | 9 (22.5) | 0.329c |
| Diuretics | 8 (26.7) | 2 (5) | 0.355c |
| Isotretinoin | 1 (3.3) | 2 (5) | 0.733c |
DED dry eye disease, MGD meibomian gland dysfunction, OSDI ocular surface disease index (values from 0 to 100), SD standard deviation
aExpressed as the mean value of upper and lower eyelid MGD grade (values from 1 to 3)
bUnpaired t-test
cChi-squared test (χ2)