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Your Optometrist can diagnose Meibomian Gland Dysfunction / MGD

Meibomian (oil) glands are located in your eyelid near your eye lashes.  Healthy Meibomian glands secrete oil with each blink of your eyes to keep your tears, and with them your eyes, from drying out.  If these glands stop working properly, your eyes will dry out very quickly and can become red, painful and inflamed. 

Common symptoms of Meibomian Gland Dysfunction (MGD) include:

  • Dry eyes
  • Red, inflamed and burning eyes
  • Itchy eyes and eye lids
  • Sticky eyes with mucous secretions, sometimes eyelids may be stuck together.
  • Excessive eye watering
  • Eyes that are sensitive to light
  • The feeling that there is something in your eye, even if nothing is there.
  • Frequent or reccuring Styes / Chalazions
  • Blurry vision that comes and goes

Because many of these symptoms are the same as other common eye diseases, an examination of your eyelids' meibomian glands by a qualified Optometrist is necessary to determine if you suffer from MGD.
 

What is the function of your tears?

Tears are the moisture layer that covers your eyes. They protect your eyes against microbial, allergic and traumatic aggression, and help to preserve your vision. They are essential for both comfort and health.
Your tears are composed of three layers which protect your eyes:

  1. A superficial thin oily layer which is composed of lipids produced by Meibomian glands (located along the rim of the eyelids). These lipids, by their chemical structure, delay the evaporation of tears. They behave like a thin oily layer on water: oil prevents water evaporation.
  2. A middle thick aqueous layer which is composed of water produced mainly by lacrimal glands that are situated in the upper eyelids. This layer carries essential nutriments and oxygen to the cornea.
  3. An innermost mucous layer that helps the film to both adhere to the eye and assure its correct distribution.

What is Meibomian Gland Dysfunction (MGD)?

MGD, otherwise known as Posterior Blepharitis, is the most common form of eyelid margin disease. 

In the early stages, the oil secretions become slightly more solid than they should be, reducing the amount that makes it out onto the eye with each blink, and causing a clogging of the gland opening. 

This low quality evaporation protection causes your eyes to dry out faster than they did when they were healthy. 

Many people don't notice the symptoms of the condition at this stage as being a reason to visit their eye care professional, however, early detection can reduce the chances of progressing to chronic conditions.

If left untreated, your Meibomian oil glands can become fully blocked with thickened secretions, and changes to your tear film can cause ongoing issues with dry eyes and inflammation.

This disorder is known as Meibomian Gland Dysfunction or Blepharitis.

How do people get MGD?

There are many ways that people can get dry eyes, from age to hormonal disturbances to environmental factors.

The change in fluidity of the meibum oil eventually causes an obstruction, blocking the gland from secreting oil onto the eye's surface.

The chart on the left explains the progression of dry eye symptoms from the time something changes in their life or environment, to the point at which their symptoms become severe.

If you have noticed any of these issues with your own eyes, please seek the guidance of an eye care professional.

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