Tear lipid layer thickness with eye drops in meibomian gland dysfunction

Jennifer S Fogt,1 Matthew J Kowalski,1 P Ewen King-Smith,1 Alice T Epitropolous,2 Andrew J Hendershot,2 Carrie Lembach,2 John Paul Maszczak,1 Lisa A Jones-Jordan,1 Joseph T Barr1 1The Ohio State University College of Optometry, 2The Ohio State University Department of Ophthalmology, Columbus, OH, USA Purpose: The aim of this study was to evaluate the efficacy of a lipid containing emollient eye drop, Soothe XP, which was reformulated in 2014 with a more stable preservative and buffer system, compared to a control, non-emollient, eye drop (Systane Ultra) in improving lipid layer thickness (LLT) in subjects with dry eye due to meibomian gland dysfunction (MGD).Patients and methods: This prospective single-center, open-label, cross-over, examiner masked-study enrolled subjects aged 30–75 years with lipid-deficient dry eye and a clinical diagnosis of MGD as determined by a slit lamp examination, an evaluation of meibomian gland drop out with meibography, and a standard patient evaluation of eye dryness questionnaire of >5. Eligibility was then determined by a LLT of