Evidence map›Paper›PMID 42816895›Full record

ReviewEye and vision (London, England)2026

Intense pulsed light as a multi-target intervention paradigm for refractory ocular surface diseases: a review.

Jiayi Yan, Wei Chen, Jinyang Li

Abstract readReview
In one paragraph

Review in Eye and vision (London, England), 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
0citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from 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.

2 · The registry

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.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

0 citing papers in PubMed.

No citing paper in PubMed yet.

4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

3 authors.

Jiayi YanNational Clinical Research Center for Ocular Diseases, Eye Hospital, Wenzhou Medical University, Wenzhou, 325027, China.
Wei ChenNational Clinical Research Center for Ocular Diseases, Eye Hospital, Wenzhou Medical University, Wenzhou, 325027, China. chenweimd@wmu.edu.cn.
Jinyang LiNational Clinical Research Center for Ocular Diseases, Eye Hospital, Wenzhou Medical University, Wenzhou, 325027, China. lijinyang@eye.ac.cn.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Ocular surface diseases (OSDs) are a heterogeneous group of disorders characterized by overlapping inflammatory, vascular, microbial, neuroimmune, and meibomian gland abnormalities that contribute to the onset and persistence of ocular surface symptoms and signs. Conventional symptom-directed therapies do not adequately alleviate refractory meibomian gland dysfunction, Demodex-associated blepharitis, ocular rosacea, recurrent chalazion, and allergic conjunctivitis. Recent evidence suggests that these conditions may share convergent pathological features, including chronic inflammation, abnormal lid-margin vascularity, and microbial or parasitic imbalance. Intense pulsed light (IPL), which was initially used for vascular and inflammatory disorders in dermatology, has emerged as a potential physical therapy that acts through several proposed mechanisms in patients with selected refractory OSDs, including photothermal liquefaction of inspissated meibum, coagulation of abnormal vessels, reduction of Demodex and microbial burden, modulation of inflammatory responses, and possible effects on neuroimmune signaling; however, these mechanisms remain incompletely established. Case series and clinical studies have reported improvements in ocular symptoms, tear film stability, meibomian gland function and drainage, lid-margin inflammation, and chalazion or lesion resolution, particularly when IPL is combined with meibomian gland expression or other adjunctive therapies. However, treatment responses vary across disease phenotypes and standardized treatment parameters, long-term safety data, and high-quality randomized controlled trials remain limited. Anatomical factors, disease severity, glandular structure, and inflammatory status may also influence therapeutic outcomes. Overall, IPL therapy represents a promising but evolving treatment strategy for refractory OSDs. This review summarizes the current knowledge regarding the proposed mechanisms, clinical applications, treatment protocols, limitations, and future directions and provides updated perspectives for the rational use of IPL in OSD management.

Indexed as

Allergic conjunctivitisBlepharitisChalazionIntense pulsed lightMeibomian gland dysfunctionMulti-target therapyOcular rosaceaPhotobiomodulation

Identifiers

PMID42816895
PMCPMC13625324

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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.