Understanding the physical properties of meibomian lipid films

Meibomian gland secretions form the major component of the lipid layer of the tear film. The composition of meibomian gland secretions, their interactions and the resulting physicochemical properties of the lipid layer have been shown to be important determinants of tear film stability and pathophysiology of various dry eye diseases. A prevailing view in ocular research is that the components of the tear film are integrated and therefore, if a particular component of the tear film is impaired it will alter the performance of the whole tear film and such changes pre-empt dry eye. Indeed, changes in the levels of various protein and lipid components have been correlated with various dry eye conditions such as blepharitis and Sjögren’s syndrome, but have never been experimentally tested. Therefore, the aim of this project was to evaluate how changes in specific components of meibomian gland secretions affect both the structural and physicochemical properties of meibomian lipid films