Prevalence of Meibomian Gland Dysfunction & Dry Eye Syndrome in Patients with Diabetes: A Cross-Sectional Study

Background: Diabetes, as the most common disease caused by metabolic disorders, is associated with several compli-cations, including ocular complications. The aim of this cross-sectional study was to determine the fre-quency of meibomian gland dysfunction and dry eye in patients with diabetes. Materials and Methods: In this descriptive-analytical cross-sectional study, patients with type 2 diabetes referred to the eye clinic of Farshchian Hospital (Sina) from December 2019 to October 2020 were included. Data were collected on the patients’ demographic characteristics, duration of diabetes, and HbA1c using a pre-designed checklist. The severity of dry eye was assessed by the tear breakup time (TBUT) test, while meibomian gland disorder and ocular complications were evaluated by a slit lamp. Results: In this study, 267 patients with type 2 diabetes participated. The mean age of the patients was 59.8 years, and 44.2% of them were male. Mild, moderate, and severe dry eye were observed in 34.1%, 18.0% and 5.2% of the patients, respectively. Grades 1, 2, and 3 of meibomian gland dysfunction were observed in 32.6%, 15.7%, and 5.2% of the patients respectively. Patients with poor glycemic control had higher se-verity of dry eye (p<0.001) and more meibomian gland dysfunction (p<0.001). Conclusion: Dry eye and meibomian gland dysfunction have a high prevalence in patients with diabetes mellitus, and more severe dry eye and meibomian gland dysfunction are associated with poor glycemic control and longer duration of diabetes diagnosis.