RESEARCH ARTICLE Evaluation of the Adhesive Properties of the Cornea by Means of Optical Coherence Tomography in Patients with Meibomian Gland Dysfunction and Lacrimal Tear Deficiency

Objective: The aim was to determine the influence of meibomian gland dysfunction (MGD) and aqueous tear deficiency dry eye (ADDE) on the adhesive properties of the central cornea by means of optical coherence tomography (OCT), and to investigate the relationship between corneal adhesiveness and classical tear tests, as well as the reliability of results, in these lacrimal functional unit disorders. Design: Prospective, case-control study. Methods: Twenty-eight patients with MGD and 27 patients with ADDE were studied. A group of 32 healthy subjects of similar age and gender distribution served as a control group. The adhesive properties of the anterior corneal surface were measured by OCT, based on the retention time of adhesion marker above it, in all participants. Results: An excellent ($5 minutes), borderline (within 3–5 minutes), fair (within 1–3 minutes) and poor (,1 minute) values of corneal adhesiveness were found, respectively, in 0%, 7.1%, 64.3 % and 28.6 % of MGD, in 0%, 7.4%, 63 % and 29.6