Impact of Eyelid Hygiene Education on Compliance and Clinical Outcomes in Meibomian Gland Dysfunction

Purpose: Meibomian gland dysfunction (MGD) is one of the leading causes of dry eye disease (DED) and ocular surface disorders. Eyelid hygiene constitutes the first-line therapy for MGD and requires consistent patient adherence to home-based practices. This study aimed to evaluate the impact of different modes of patient education on treatment compliance and clinical outcomes. Design: Prospective, randomized, comparative study. Methods: Patients with mild to severe MGD were enrolled and randomized to receive verbal, written, or visual instructions on eyelid hygiene. Clinical assessments included the Ocular Surface Disease Index (OSDI), best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA), tear breakup time (TBUT), corneal fluorescein staining, meibomian gland (MG) evaluation, and Schirmer I test. Results: Of the 114 patients initially recruited, 107 (93.9%) completed follow-up. Among them, 81 (72.9%) reported adherence to treatment. Compliance rates were 60.0% in the verbal group, 80.6% in the written group, and 86.1% in the visual group. Written and visual instruction groups demonstrated significantly higher compliance compared with the verbal group (p < 0.05). Across all participants, mean OSDI scores significantly improved from 30.6 ± 12.4 at baseline to 16.8 ± 5.8 post-treatment (p < 0.05). The proportion of asymptomatic patients increased significantly in the written and visual groups (p < 0.05). Conclusions: MGD is a common condition in ophthalmic practice. Enhancing patient education with written and visual materials significantly improves compliance with eyelid hygiene, leading to better clinical outcomes. These strategies may increase cost-effectiveness and reduce the need for more invasive or costly interventions.