Table 3.
| Year author | Level of evidence | N | Type of WC | Application | Significant outcomes (p < 0.05) | Other outcomes/notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Study duration: 2 weeks | ||||||
| 2023 Meng | I | 50 |
Self-heating (EyeGiene®) n = 25 |
15 min q.d. |
Increased tear break-up time±†‡ Decreased corneal staining±†‡ Improved meibomian gland score± Increased glands with liquid secretion± Decreased symptom severity±†‡ |
Tear film lipid layer thickness (p > 0.05) Partial blink rate (decreased, no p) Meibomian gland dropout (p > 0.05) ±1-month, †2-month, ‡3-month eval No mention of diary to log usage |
| 2020 Sun | I | 45 |
Self-heating (Kao corp mask) n = 22 |
10 min q.d. |
Increased tear break-up time Decreased corneal staining Decreased symptom severity |
Meibomian gland score (p > 0.05) Meibomian gland dropout (p > 0.05) No mention of diary to log usage |
| 2014 Bilkhu | I | 25 | Microwavable (EyeBag®) | 5 min b.i.d. |
Increased tear film lipid layer thickness Increased tear break-up time Increased tear meniscus height Decreased tear osmolarity Increased meibomian gland area Improved meibomian gland score Decreased symptom severity |
1 participant reported transient eyelid stinging on the first 4 occasions Ocular comfort checked by text b.i.d. Maintenance of increased ocular comfort at 6-month follow-up, greater score for those who continued occasional use No mention of diary to log usage |
| Study duration: 4 weeks | ||||||
| 2019 Ngo | I | 25 |
Microwavable (EyeBag®) n = 12 |
10 min b.i.d. | Decreased symptom severity |
Tear break-up time (p > 0.05) Meibomian gland score (p > 0.05) Decreased compliance 2nd half study Phone questionnaires week 1 & 3 Attended visits week 2, 4, 8 |
| 2019 Tichenor | I | 51 |
Hot towel (not reheated) n = 17 |
10 min b.i.d. | Decreased symptom severity (when data is combined with all groups) |
Tear break-up time (p > 0.05) Tear film lipid layer thickness (p > 0.05) Meibomian gland score (p > 0.05) Symptom severity (p > 0.05) 79.6% compliance |
|
Microwavable (Bruder®) n = 17 |
10 min b.i.d. |
Decreased blocked glands Decreased symptom severity (when data is combined with all groups) Increased comfortable time in contacts (when compared to hot towel group) |
Tear break-up time (p > 0.05) Tear film lipid layer thickness (p > 0.05) Meibomian gland score (p > 0.05) Symptom severity (p > 0.05) 86% compliance |
|||
|
Microwavable (Bruder®) n = 17 |
10 min q.d. |
Decrease in blocked glands Decreased symptom severity (when data is combined with all groups) Increased comfortable time in contacts (when compared to hot towel group) |
Tear break-up time (p > 0.05) Tear film lipid layer thickness (p > 0.05) Meibomian gland score (p > 0.05) Symptom severity (p > 0.05) 90.2% compliance |
|||
| Diary of symptoms; visits day 15 & 30 | ||||||
| 2015 Arita | I | 10 | Microwavable (Kiribai corp red bean mask) | 5 min b.i.d. |
Increased tear break-up time Decreased ocular surface staining Decreased Schirmer’s Increased meibomian gland area Improved meibomian gland score Increased tarsal conjunctiva temp |
Eyelid skin temp (p > 0.05) Multi-component study; results related to WC on subjects with MGD listed No mention of diary to log usage |
| Study duration: 2 months | ||||||
| 2020 Murphy | I | 42 |
Hot towel (reheated) n = 12 |
10 min b.i.d. 10 min q.d.§ |
Decreased ocular surface staining Decreased symptom severity |
Tear break-up time (p > 0.05) Tear osmolality (p > 0.05) Schirmer test (p > 0.05) Meibomian gland score (p > 0.05) Demodex quantity lash (p > 0.05) Demodex quantity microscope (p > 0.05) 77.92% compliance |
|
Microwavable (EyeBag®) n = 16 |
10 min b.i.d. 10 min q.d.§ |
Decreased corneal staining Improved meibomian gland score Decreased symptom severity |
Tear break-up time (p > 0.05) Tear osmolality (p > 0.05) Schirmer test (p > 0.05) Demodex quantity lash (p > 0.05) Demodex quantity microscope (p > 0.05) 86.81% compliance |
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|
Microwavable (OPTASE™) n = 14 |
10 min b.i.d. 10 min q.d.§ |
Decreased tear osmolarity Decreased corneal staining Improved meibomian gland score Decreased symptom severity Decreased Demodex quantity lash |
Tear break-up time (p > 0.05) Schirmer test (p > 0.05) Demodex quantity microscope (p > 0.05) 85.45% compliance |
|||
|
§b.i.d. 2 weeks, then q.d. 6 weeks Usage reported at visits week 2, 4, 8 |
||||||
| Study duration: 3 months | ||||||
| 2014 Sim | I | 75 |
Hot towel (reheated) n = 25 |
10 min b.i.d. |
Decreased symptom severity Decreased symptom frequency |
Tear break-up time (p > 0.05) Meibomian gland score (p > 0.05) Reheating protocol not specified |
|
Self-heating (EyeGiene®) n = 25 |
10 min b.i.d. |
Decreased symptom severity Decreased symptom frequency |
Tear break-up time (p > 0.05) Meibomian gland score (p > 0.05) 8 withdrawals, 3 citing device issues 4 of remaining participants reported inconsistent heat delivery from device |
|||
| Diary to log usage | ||||||
| Study duration: 6 months | ||||||
| 2011 Olafsson | I | 70 |
Microwavable (Thera°Pearl®) n = 33 |
10–15 min q.d. |
Increased tear break-up time Decreased corneal staining‡ Decreased symptoms |
Meibomian gland score (p > 0.05) Schirmer test (p > 0.05) Compliance decreased across time 3 only able to commit to 3 months 5 dropped @3 month, 2 @6 month Diary to log usage ‡3-month, 6-month evaluation |
N = number of participants in the study, n = number of participants in the group
WC Warm compress, MGD meibomian gland dysfunction