ArticleOphthalmology and therapy2022
Effect of a Novel Thermostatic Device on Meibomian Gland Dysfunction: A Randomized Controlled Trial in Chinese Patients.
Article in Ophthalmology and therapy, 2022. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 14 papers, 3 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
14 citing papers in PubMed, 3 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 22 citations in OpenAlex.
- LipiFlow for the treatment of dry eye disease: A Cochrane systematic review summary.Contact lens & anterior eye : the journal of the British Contact Lens Association · 2025Pooled it
- LipiFlow for the treatment of dry eye disease.The Cochrane database of systematic reviews · 2024Pooled it
- Evaporative dry eye disease due to meibomian gland dysfunction: Preferred practice pattern guidelines for diagnosis and treatment.Indian journal of ophthalmology · 2023Guideline
- Long-term efficacy of three treatments for severe MGD: a comparative study in Chinese patients.International ophthalmology · 2025Trial
- Technological Interventions for Dry Eye Disease: A Systematic Review and Random-Effects Network Meta-analysis of 3-Month Outcomes.Ophthalmology and therapy · 2026Article
- Dry Eye Disease Management Via Technological Methods: A Systematic Review and Network Meta-analysis.Ophthalmology and therapy · 2025Article
- Dry eye disease treatment improves subjective quality-of-life responses in patients with AMD, independent of disease stage.PloS one · 2025Article
- Vectored Thermal Pulsation as a Treatment for Meibomian Gland Dysfunction: A Review Spanning 15 Years.Ophthalmology and therapy · 2024Review
- Tolerability of Current Treatments for Dry Eye Disease: A Review of Approved and Investigational Therapies.Clinical ophthalmology (Auckland, N.Z.) · 2024Review
- Dry Eye Disease Associated with Meibomian Gland Dysfunction: Focus on Tear Film Characteristics and the Therapeutic Landscape.Ophthalmology and therapy · 2023Review
- Integrated multi-omics and machine learning approach reveals lipid metabolic biomarkers and signaling in age-related meibomian gland dysfunction.Computational and structural biotechnology journal · 2023Article
- Candidate Molecular Compounds as Potential Indicators for Meibomian Gland Dysfunction.Frontiers in medicine · 2022Review
- Eyelid Warming Devices: Safety, Efficacy, and Place in Therapy.Clinical optometry · 2022Review
- Is a thermal pulsation system (LipiFlow) effective as a standalone treatment for meibomian gland dysfunction and dry eye? A systematic review and meta-analysis.Therapeutic advances in ophthalmologyArticle
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
8 authors at 1 institution in 1 country.
Funding
Abstract
introductionMeibomian gland dysfunction (MGD) is a common eye condition that causes excessive evaporation of tears by changing the tear film composition. Current treatments often fail to produce satisfactory results, which is mostly due to poor patient adherence. This study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness and safety of the MiBoFlo Thermoflo® on both subjective symptoms and objective signs in Chinese patients with MGD.
methodsThis prospective, randomized, controlled clinical trial included 108 eyes of 54 patients with MGD who were recruited in Beijing Tongren Hospital and randomized 1:1 to MiBoFlo (n = 54 eyes) or LipiFlow® (n = 54 eyes) treatment group. In the MiBoFlo group, patients received three 10-min treatments, each spaced 2 weeks apart, and the treatment was followed by eyelid compression each time. Patients in the LipiFlow group received a single 12-min treatment. The primary parameters measured included changes in Ocular Surface Disease Index (OSDI) score, Meibomian Glands Yielding Liquid Secretion (MGYLS) score, and Meibomian Glands Secretion (MGS) score from baseline to 2 months. The secondary parameters included tear meniscus height (TMH), non-invasive keratograph break-up time (NIKBUT), corneal fluorescein staining (CFS), and meibomian glands (MG) loss from baseline to 2 months. Safety parameters include visual acuity (VA), intraocular pressure (IOP), anterior segment, and facial skin.
resultsThe OSDI, MGYLS, and MGS scores all improved from baseline to 1 month in both MiBoFlo and LipiFlow groups, and these improvements were maintained at 2 months. CFS score, NIKBUT, and MG loss showed no significant change in both groups.
conclusionAs a portable and comfortable device, MiBoFlo can improve the treatment of MGD and achieve a sustained improvement in both symptoms and meibomian gland function lasting at least 2 months.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.