Study	Reason for exclusion
ChiCTR‐ONC‐17010867	Ineligible study design (not an RCT).
ChiCTR‐ONN‐17013864	Ineligible study design (not an RCT).
ChiCTR‐OON‐15007125	Ineligible study design (not a RCT).
ChiCTR1800014847	Ineligible study design (not an RCT).
ChiCTR1900020576	Ineligible comparator – active comparator (broad band light as the comparator).
Li 2019	Ineligible comparator – active comparator (2 IPL methods compared).
NCT01917539	Study withdrawn.
NCT02066051	Ineligible study design (not an RCT).
NCT02621593	Ineligible study design (not an RCT).
NCT02992535	Ineligible study design (not an RCT).
NCT03658811	Ineligible study design (not an RCT).
NCT03788486	Ineligible intervention (blue light‐emitting diode rather than IPL).
Zhang 2019	Ineligible patient population (participants had ocular Demodex infestation rather than meibomian gland dysfunction).

IPL: intense pulsed light; RCT: randomised controlled trial.