Morphological and clinical characteristics of the upper meibomian gland in different age groups of healthy Chinese

Objective To clarify the morphological characteristics of the upper eyelid's meibomian gland (UMG) in different age groups of a healthy Chinese Han population. Methods This was a cross-sectional observation case series. Seven hundred and ninety-two healthy volunteers (1 584 eyes) were grouped into ten age groups based on ten-year increments, starting at age one. Data collected included the meibomian 5-scale grading (Grade), No.(n), density(d), average width (WA), average length (LA) and area ratio (RA) of the upper meibomian glands. The data on the lid abnormality score (LAS), meibo-score (M), meibum secretion (MS), fluorescence integral (FI), tear film break-up time (BUT) and Schirmer test Ⅰ (SⅠT) were also collected. Data were analyzed using correlation, nonparameter and t test. Results There were no statistical interocular or inter-gender differences in the overall healthy volunteers (P 0.05). Conclusion Morphological and clinical data of UMG show a significant age-related degenerative change in Chinese Han population. Key words: Meibomian glands; Meibomian gland dysfunction; Morphology; Meibography