Table 3.
Differences in baseline clinical parameters between the non-responder and responder groups.
| Baseline Parameter | Non-Responder Group (n = 8) |
Responder Group (n = 50) |
p Value 1 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sex | Male: Female | 3:5 | 13:37 | 0.672 |
| Age (year) | 68.5 (9.4) | 62.4 (9.3) | 0.008 | |
| TBUT (s) | 1.88 (0.83) | 1.54 (0.86) | 0.310 | |
| SICCA staining score | 4.88 (2.42) | 6.16 (2.30) | 0.015 | |
| Oxford staining score | 2.00 (1.31) | 2.38 (1.12) | 0.388 | |
| MMP-9 level | 1.00 (1.07) | 2.09 (1.13) | 0.015 | |
| Meibum color | Upper eyelid (0–3) | 2.88 (0.35) | 2.96 (0.20) | 0.322 |
| Lower eyelid (0–3) | 2.88 (0.35) | 2.98 (0.14) | 0.135 | |
| Meibum consistency | Upper eyelid (0–3) | 2.00 (0.53) | 2.68 (0.47) | 0.008 |
| Lower eyelid (0–3) | 2.25 (0.71) | 2.86 (0.35) | 0.045 | |
| Lid telangiectasia | Upper eyelid (0–3) | 2.63 (0.52) | 2.72 (0.45) | 0.591 |
| Lower eyelid (0–3) | 2.88 (0.35) | 2.80 (0.40) | 0.623 |
TBUT, tear film break-up time; SICCA, Sjögren’s International Clinical Collaborative Alliance; MMP-9, matrix metalloproteinase-9. Results are presented as mean (standard deviation). Non-responder group: no difference in meibomian gland grade; responder group: improvement in meibomian gland grade. 1 Statistical analysis was performed with independent t-tests for continuous variables, and Fisher’s exact test for categorical variables.