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Infrared thermography: different options of thermal eyelid warming

  • Medical Ophthalmology
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Abstract

Purpose

Current therapies of Meibomian gland dysfunction (MGD) include thermal eyelid warming. It was the aim of the study to investigate the temperature run after eyelid warming using 3 different techniques (hot compresses, Blephasteam® (Thea Pharma GmbH, France), and having a sauna) in patients with MGD compared with normal subjects by infrared thermography.

Methods

A prospective case-control study was done. Temperature profiles of the eyelids were investigated in 93 subjects (49 normals, 44 MGD patients) after warming of the eyelids by 3 methods: hot compresses, Blephasteam®, and having a sauna. Temperature runs of the eyelids were measured with an infrared thermal imaging camera (VarioCAM® HD research 675/30 mm, InfraTec GmbH) at baseline and after eyelid warming for 10 min. Statistical analysis were done by Wilcoxon test or t tests for unpaired samples.

Results

The initial eyelid temperature was significantly increased after the use of Blephasteam® compared with hot compresses in MGD and normal patients (p < 0.001). Having a sauna showed a similar warming effect of the eyelids than Blephasteam® in normals and MGD patients (p > 0.05). Additionally, the warming effect of the eyelids after having a sauna was significantly longer than after the use of Blephasteam® in MGD (p = 0.016) and normal patients (p = 0.01).

Conclusion

Eyelid temperature after having a sauna was similar to commonly used warming devices; yet, the duration of the eyelid warming effect was longer. Thus, having a sauna might be an alternative option for warming of the eyelids.

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Acknowledgements

The present work was performed in partial fulfilment of the requirements for obtaining the degree “Dr. med.”.

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Author notes

  1. Inge Kremers and Bettina Hohberger contributed equally to this work.

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Ophthalmology, University of Erlangen, Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg (FAU), Schwabachanlage 6, 91054, Erlangen, Germany

    Inge Kremers, Bettina Hohberger & Antonio Bergua

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  1. Inge Kremers
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  2. Bettina Hohberger
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  3. Antonio Bergua
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Correspondence to Inge Kremers.

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All procedures performed in this study involving human participants were in accordance with the ethical standards of the local ethics committee of the Friedrich-Alexander-University Erlangen-Nürnberg (FAU) and with the 1964 Helsinki declaration and its later amendments or comparable ethical standards. Informed consent was obtained from all individual participants included in this research. This article does not contain any studies with animals performed by any of the authors.

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Kremers, I., Hohberger, B. & Bergua, A. Infrared thermography: different options of thermal eyelid warming. Graefes Arch Clin Exp Ophthalmol 258, 1515–1522 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00417-020-04673-0

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00417-020-04673-0

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