MGD Dry Eye or Both
Many patients and even doctors mistakenly view MGD as a form of dry eye. That’s because the two conditions frequently go hand in hand. But it is important to recognize that the two diseases are not the same.
MGD is a common contributor to dry eye disease and has been shown to affect 86% of patients with dry eye, but they are two separate conditions.The reason we tend to put them in the same bracket is because when you have decreased oils being expressed from the meibomian glands in an MGD patient, at some point it will likely have an effect on the tear film and ocular surface, leading to evaporative dry eye disease.
Disease Diagnosis
MGD cannot be diagnosed based on symptoms alone. This is due to the fact that many people have no symptoms even when they have rather advanced disease.
It is important to be proactive as it is much more difficult to treat later in the disease process. People with MGD have the risk that the blocked glands become atrophied (damaged) and may not recover if the disease is not identified early enough.
Our job at the OkO Dry Eye Center is to identify and treat MGD even when a patient doesn’t know they have a problem.
Symptoms
- Sore eyelids
- Swollen eyelids
- Dry Eyes
- Itchy Eyes
- Gritty Eyes
- Red Eyes
- Sore Eyes
- Watery Eyes
- Blurry Vision
Treatment
Prevention is key here to treating any meibomian gland dysfunction. People should not wait until they have symptoms or visual signs of MGD before they seek help from a professional.
Patients are asked to be proactive by seeking eye care professionals who take this disease seriously and treat it accordingly. Here at the OkO Dry Eye Center your treatment would be tailored to your individual symptoms, and the cause of your condition. If you are worried about MGD, make an appointment to see us as soon as possible and get your eyes checked, now virtual consultations available.
