What is meibomitis, meibomian gland dysfunction? What is the treatment for meibomitis?

Meibomitis, meibomian gland dysfunction, is a condition that the eyelid glands become inflamed.  The eyelid glands, meibomian glands, produce the necessary oils for the eye.  These oils are critical for healthy eyes and good vision.  The meibomian glands typically become inflamed by eyelid bacteria.  Once inflamed these glands do not produce the normal oil.  Instead of producing clear fluid oil, like vegetable oil, the glands produce thick white oil, like toothpaste.  This oil does not coat the eye properly.  This will cause many eye problems including: dry eyes, contact lens intolerance, foreign body sensations, burning, itching, blurry vision, eye redness and ocular discomfort.

This condition is often chronic.  Treatment includes cleaning one’s eyelid margins and hot compress to help eyelid gland function.  An eye doctor may also prescribe an oral antibiotic to help with eradication the bacteria in the glands.  Treatment can often take months before the patient notices significant improvement.

Treatment options:

     Hot compresses 5-10 minutes two times per day.

     Eyelid scrubs with baby shampoo nightly.

     Oral antibiotics, tetracycline, erythromycin or doxycycline