Observational studyBMC ophthalmology2025
Identification of tear lipid biomarkers in women with dry eye disease and the impact of intense pulsed light therapy: a case-control study.
Observational study in BMC ophthalmology, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 3 papers.
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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.
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Who cites it
3 citing papers in PubMed.
- Review
- [Role and Potential Mechanisms of Peroxisome Proliferator-Activated Receptor α in Ultraviolet B Radiation-Induced Skin Damage].Sichuan da xue xue bao. Yi xue ban = Journal of Sichuan University. Medical science edition · 2026Article
- Lipid Layer Thickness in Soft Contact Lens Wearers With and Without Lenses In Situ-A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.Journal of clinical medicine · 2026Review
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Authors and funding
12 authors.
Funding
Abstract
backgroundThe tear-film lipid layer (TFLL) constitutes the outermost barrier of the ocular surface, reducing evaporation and stabilising the tear film. In aqueous-deficient dry eye (ADDE) and Meibomian-gland dysfunction (MGD), compositional changes in the TFLL compromise this protective role. The present study was designed to characterise the tear-lipid fingerprints associated with ADDE and MGD, to compare them with those of healthy subjects, and to assess the impact of intense pulsed-light (IPL) therapy on the tear lipidome in MGD.
methodsIn a multicentre, prospective, observational-interventional case-control pilot study, 52 participants were enrolled in two phases: a discovery cohort (9 ADDE, 15 MGD, 13 controls) and an independent validation cohort (15 additional subjects). Tear lipids were profiled by ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (UHPLC-MS). Unsupervised principal-component analysis (PCA) explored global variance; supervised partial least-squares discriminant analysis (PLS-DA) and orthogonal PLS-DA (OPLS-DA) defined group differences and yielded candidate biomarkers, with model robustness confirmed by permutation testing and CV-ANOVA. MGD participants received IPL at baseline, day 15, and day 45; clinical metrics and tear samples were obtained before and after therapy.
resultsA total of 176 lipid species were identified and quantified in positive- and negative-ion modes (ESI + and ESI-). Supervised PLS-DA clearly separated ADDE, MGD and control samples, while OPLS-DA highlighted 48 lipids that differed significantly among groups (p < 0.05). Both dry-eye subtypes were characterised by a pronounced depletion of lysophospholipids (LPE, LPC, LPG, LPI; fold change < 0.5) and an enrichment of (O-acyl)-ω-hydroxy fatty acids (OAHFA; fold change > 2) relative to controls. Cholesteryl esters (ChE) showed a subtype-specific elevation only in the MGD-versus-control comparison (fold change > 2). Permutation testing and CV-ANOVA confirmed the robustness of the ADDE-versus-MGD discrimination model. Although IPL therapy significantly improved clinical metrics such as tear break-up time and lissamine-green staining, the changes observed in the tear lipid profile were not statistically significant.
conclusionsDry-eye subtypes appear to possess discrete lipidomic signatures; consequently, the lipid panel identified here could serve as a set of potential therapeutic targets. The dissociation between clinical improvement and lipidomic stability after IPL indicates that the therapy may benefit the ocular surface through mechanisms other than large-scale remodelling of the tear-film lipid layer, highlighting the need to explore complementary therapeutic pathways.
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