Table 4.
Lipid layer grade and tear meniscus height (TMH) of the study subjects with aqueous-deficient dry eye and mild meibomian gland dysfunction in the intense pulsed light (IPL)—meibomian gland expression (MGX) group (n = 46 eyes) and MGX (control) group (n = 40 eyes) at baseline as well as 1 and 3 months after the treatment completion.
| Characteristic | Group | Baseline | 1 Month after the Final Treatment Session | 3 Months after the Final Treatment Session | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. (%) of Eyes | Adjusted p Value for IPL-MGX vs. Control | No. (%) of Eyes | Adjusted p Value vs. Baseline | Adjusted p Value for IPL-MGX vs. Control | No. (%) of Eyes | Adjusted p Value vs. Baseline | Adjusted p Value for IPL-MGX vs. Control | |||
| Interferometric pattern | Jupiter-like | Control | 40 (100.0%) | 1 | 28 (70.0%) | <0.001 ** | 0.016 * | 38 (95.0%) | <0.001 ** | 0.003 * |
| Pearl-like | 0 (0.0%) | 12 (30.0%) | 2 (5.0%) | |||||||
| Crystal-like | 0 (0.0%) | 0 (0.0%) | 0 (0.0%) | |||||||
| Jupiter-like | IPL-MGX | 46 (100.0%) | 18 (39.1%) | <0.001 ** | 30 (65.2%) | <0.001 ** | ||||
| Pearl-like | 0 (0.0%) | 28 (60.9%) | 16 (34.8%) | |||||||
| Crystal-like | 0 (0.0%) | 0 (0.0%) | 0 (0.0%) | |||||||
| TMH | Low | Control | 40 (100%) | 1 | 40 (100%) | 1 | 1 | 40 (100%) | 1 | 1 |
| Normal | 0 (0.0%) | 0 (0.0%) | 0 (0.0%) | |||||||
| High | 0 (0.0%) | 0 (0.0%) | 0 (0.0%) | |||||||
| Low | IPL-MGX | 46 (100.0%) | 46 (100.0%) | 1 | 46 (100.0%) | 1 | ||||
| Normal | 0 (0.0%) | 0 (0.0%) | 0 (0.0%) | |||||||
| High | 0 (0.0%) | 0 (0.0%) | 0 (0.0%) | |||||||
p values were determined with the chi-square test vs. baseline and Fisher’s exact test vs. control with Bonferroni’s correction (* adjusted p < 0.05, ** adjusted p < 0.001).