• A new noninvasive technique to measure corneal elasticity could help diagnose keratoconus and other corneal diseases. Published in the October 2014 Journal of the Royal Society Interface, this method uses optical coherence tomography (OCT) to acoustically stimulate the cornea and record nanoscale images of the movement at high speed and resolution, creating a new technique called OCT vibrography. These images provide information on corneal material parameters without interfering bias from corneal thickness or IOP that may help ECPs customize corneal treatments as needed.

• A study in the British Journal of Ophthalmology suggests Demodex infestations may be more common among dry eye patients without blepharitis than previously thought. When comparing Demodex infestations found using in vivo confocal microscopy (IVCM) versus classic eyelash depilation, both identified 100% of the mite infestations among patients with anterior blepharitis (n=18). However, IVCM found 60% of the infestations among dry eye patients without blepharitis (n=22) and 12% among healthy subjects (n=8), while depilation found only 50% and 0%, respectively. These results suggest current clinical methods may be missing Demodex in dry eye patients who present without possible infestation indications and otherwise healthy patients.

• A single thermodynamic LipiFlow treatment applied to the meibomian glands may benefit patients in the early stages of MG dysfunction, with clinical improvement persisting for up to six months, according to a small prospective trial in the journal Cornea. Reduced subjective symptoms and improved objective dry eye parameters (e.g., expressible glands, secretion score, lipid layer thickness) were found in 26 MGD patients examined before and six months after a single in-office treatment. 

The extent of MG atrophy may correlate with treatment response—symptomatic improvement was better in patients will less atrophy, and no improvement in atrophy was noted after the therapy.