Eyeworld

EW NEWS & OPINION March 2016 25 3. Zengin N, et al. Meibomian gland dysfunc- tion and tear film abnormalities in rosacea. Cornea. 1995;14:144–146. consistent with study results previ- ously reported. "Interestingly, we found that the severity of lid margin abnormal- ities strongly correlated with the severity of cutaneous manifestations of the disease," they added. Correlation with MGD Quantitative characterization of MGD in patients with acne rosacea was conducted for the first time by Machalinska and colleagues. "We found that rosacea is ac- companied with significant loss of meibomian gland tissue defined as reduced meibomian gland area and decreased meibomian gland densi- ty," they reported. "We detected a strong positive correlation between lid margin abnormality and meiboscore in rosacea patients, indicating that lid margin abnormalities in the course of rosacea were accompanied by meibomian gland dropout," they noted. "Our data suggest that ocular rosacea is associated with the loss of meibomian gland tissue." Despite the confirmed correla- tions of skin rosacea with ocular involvement, ocular rosacea is often undiagnosed. In addition, the lack of specific ocular symptoms for ocular rosacea adds to this dilemma. To resolve this, Machalinska and colleagues strongly recommend that patients with skin disease should be referred to an ophthalmologist even if there are no ocular complaints. "The collaboration between der- matologists and ophthalmologists is a very important step in the proper diagnosis and management of ocular rosacea, even in asymptomatic pa- tients," they emphasized. "We conclude that ocular ery- thema and lid margin abnormalities represent primary alternations in ro- sacea patients. Moreover, our results suggest that ocular rosacea may in- fluence meibomian gland morpholo- gy, causing structural changes in the meibomian glands," they said. "These findings can help ex- pand our knowledge of the patho- genic mechanisms of MGD and may be relevant to the potential treatment of this condition," they concluded. EW References 1. Machalinska A, et al. Morphological and functional evaluation of meibomian gland dysfunction in rosacea patients. Curr Eye Res. 2015 Dec 7:1–6. 2. Ghanem VC, et al. The prevalence of ocular signs in acne rosacea: comparing patients from ophthalmology and dermatology clinics. Cornea. 2003;22:230–233. 909.466.4304 Get certified for the Kahook Dual Blade procedure at KDBcert.com Elegant in design, Precise in action Editors' note: Dr. Machalinska has no financial interest related to her comments. Contact information Machalinska: annam@pum.edu.pl

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