Conditions: Blepharitis
Keywords: Meibomian gland dysfunction Lid margin disease doxycycline azithromycin essential fatty acid
Allocation: RANDOMIZED | Intervention model: PARALLEL
Enrollment: 31
Healthy volunteers: yes

Brief summary:
This prospective, randomized, comparative clinical trial evaluates the effect of either oral doxycycline, oral essential fatty acid, or topical azithromycin to modify the secretions of the meibomian gland in subjects with meibomian gland dysfunction and/or dry eye disease.

Detailed description:
Subjects with meibomian gland dysfunction undergo expression of the meibomian gland secretion prior to beginning treatment with either oral doxycycline or topical azithromycin solution. Doxycycline is dosed at 100 mg bid; topical azithromycin is delivered once per day as a 1% solution. Treatment with doxycycline is for two months; treatment with topical azithromycin is for one month. Following treatment, meibomian glands are again expressed and the lipids measured by spectroscopy (FTIR, MALDI-TOF, NMR)for characterization of structure and function. Analysis for presence of doxcycline or azithromycin is also performed. Changes in lipid parameters are correlated with clinical signs and symptoms of disease.

Arms:
arm 1: Oral doxycycline arm 2: Topical azithromycin daily to the conjunctival culdesac

Interventions: intervention 1: doxycycline intervention 2: azithromycin
Intervention descriptions: intervention 1: Oral doxycycline 100mg bid intervention 2: topical 1% azithromycin daily to eye

Protocol document: