International journal of ophthalmology最新文献

{"title":"Desferrioxamine attenuating high glucose-induced ferroptosis and inflammatory responses in Müller glial cells <i>via</i> Nrf2/TXNRD1 pathway.","authors":"Min Luo, Yi Zhang, Na Li, Wen-Fang Zhan","doi":"10.18240/ijo.2026.09.05","DOIUrl":"10.18240/ijo.2026.09.05","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Aim: </strong>To investigate the protective effects of deferoxamine (DFO) on high glucose (HG)-induced ferroptosis and inflammatory responses in retinal Müller glial cells (MGCs) and offer potential therapeutic targets for early intervention in diabetic retinopathy (DR).</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>Primary MGCs were cultured from C57BL/6J mouse retinas and exposed to normal glucose (NG, 5 mmol/L) or HG (25 mmol/L) conditions for various durations. Ferroptosis-related markers, including intracellular Fe²⁺ levels, glutathione (GSH), reactive oxygen species (ROS), malondialdehyde (MDA), and key proteins glutathione peroxidase 4 (GPX4), solute carrier family 7 member 11 (SLC7A11), ferritin heavy chain 1 (FTH1), were examined using multiple assays such as immunoblotting, enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), immunofluorescence (IF), and fluorometric detection. The role of DFO was evaluated through cell viability assessment and analysis of inflammatory cytokines interleukin-1 beta (IL-1β) and tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α).</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>HG exposure significantly increased intracellular Fe²⁺ content, decreased GSH levels, elevated ROS and MDA concentrations, and altered expression profiles of ferroptosis regulators GPX4 and SLC7A11. Immunoblot and IF analyses confirmed downregulation of GPX4 and SLC7A11 alongside accumulation of FTH1 under prolonged HG treatment. DFO administration markedly attenuated these ferroptotic changes while reducing inflammatory cytokine secretion, demonstrating its protective effect against HG-induced damage in MGCs by modulating the nuclear factor erythroid 2-related factor 2 (Nrf2)/thioredoxin reductase 1 (TXNRD1) pathway.</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>Low-dose DFO effectively mitigates HG-induced ferroptosis and inflammatory responses in MGCs through the Nrf2/TXNRD1 signaling axis, providing a theoretical framework for developing novel therapeutic strategies in DR management.</p>","PeriodicalId":14312,"journal":{"name":"International journal of ophthalmology","volume":"19 9","pages":"1700-1710"},"PeriodicalIF":2.0,"publicationDate":"2026-09-18","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13501047/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148812815","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Glucocorticoid-induced RPE injury in ARPE-19 cells: association with excessive autophagy and AMPK/mTOR signaling.","authors":"Wen-Xue Guan, Yue Guo, Si-Tong Chen, Zhi-Ming Liu, Yao-Yao Sun, Ming-Wei Zhao","doi":"10.18240/ijo.2026.09.01","DOIUrl":"10.18240/ijo.2026.09.01","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Aim: </strong>To investigate whether excessive glucocorticoid (GC) exposure disrupts retinal pigment epithelial (RPE) homeostasis through glucocorticoid receptor (GR)-dependent autophagy hyperactivation.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>Human retinal pigment epithelial cell line (ARPE-19 cells) were exposed to GC (0-100 µmol/L, 48h). GR subcellular localization was analyzed <i>via</i> mitochondrial fractionation and immunofluorescence. Functional assessments included barrier integrity [zonula occludens-1 (ZO-1) immunostaining], phagocytic capacity (FluoSpheres™-labeled photoreceptor outer segment uptake), and ultrastructural analysis (transmission electron microscopy, TEM). Autophagic flux was quantified using mCherry-green fluorescent protein-microtubule-associated protein 1A/1B-light chain 3 (LC3) B reporters. Molecular mechanisms were probed through AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK)/mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) pathway activity and autophagic flux assessed by LC3-II levels. GR dependency was confirmed using the antagonist RU486, and cell-type specificity was assessed using mouse photoreceptor (661W) cells.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>GC induced GR upregulation and mitochondrial translocation in a dose- and time-dependent manner, correlating with pathological autophagy activation. Key findings included: 1) tight junction disruption, evidenced by ZO-1 fragmentation, 2) reduction in phagocytic uptake efficiency, 3) mitochondrial shrinkage and autolysosome accumulation (TEM), 4) altered AMPK/mTOR signaling (p-AMPK up, p-mTOR down) associated with autophagosome formation, 5) elevated LC3-II levels confirming excessive autophagic flux. Critically, all GC-induced effects, including GR upregulation, signaling changes, and increased autophagy, were abolished by GR antagonism with RU486.</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>This study shows that GR-dependent GC exposure induces autophagic flux with ultrastructural evidence suggestive of mitochondria-targeted autophagy and alters AMPK/mTOR signaling, correlating with RPE barrier collapse and phagocytic failure, a possible link to steroid-associated central serous chorioretinopathy (CSC).</p>","PeriodicalId":14312,"journal":{"name":"International journal of ophthalmology","volume":"19 9","pages":"1657-1666"},"PeriodicalIF":2.0,"publicationDate":"2026-09-18","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13501045/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148812859","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Why aren't we using AI in eye clinics? A systematic review of barriers and solutions in AI-based fundus image diagnostics for ocular diseases.","authors":"Tehmina Shehryar, Zoha Zahid Fazal, Anum Abdul Salam, Santhoshi Varada, Fakhar Jabran, Muhammad Usman Akram","doi":"10.18240/ijo.2026.09.17","DOIUrl":"10.18240/ijo.2026.09.17","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Artificial intelligence (AI) has shown remarkable accuracy in the diagnosis of common ocular diseases such as diabetic retinopathy (DR), glaucoma, retinopathy of prematurity (ROP), and age-related macular degeneration (AMD), often matching or even outperforming expert clinicians. Despite these advancements, AI adoption in clinical settings remains limited due to key barriers. This systematic review evaluates 34 studies (2018-2025) highlighting AI's diagnostic performance (often >90% accuracy) while pointing out significant gaps in real-world deployment. We identify these persistent challenges through comprehensive analysis of current literature and propose actionable pathways to bridge the \"last-mile gap\" between research and clinical practice. This review pointed out three significant gaps in real-world deployment. These include 1) disjointed integration into clinical workflows, 2) lack of transparency in AI decision-making, and 3) poor generalizability across diverse populations. Our findings provide a framework for advancing AI implementation in ocular diagnostics to achieve equitable, scalable, and trustworthy solutions for global vision care.</p>","PeriodicalId":14312,"journal":{"name":"International journal of ophthalmology","volume":"19 9","pages":"1809-1825"},"PeriodicalIF":2.0,"publicationDate":"2026-09-18","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13501040/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148812963","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Targeting ferroptosis in ocular diseases: mechanisms, clinical implications, and therapeutic horizons.","authors":"Nai-Yuan Zhang, Hui-Qian Kong, Yu-Qiao Liao, Yi-Ji Pan, Wei Sun, Lei Xi, Hong-Hua Yu, Yun-Hong Shi","doi":"10.18240/ijo.2026.09.21","DOIUrl":"10.18240/ijo.2026.09.21","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Ferroptosis, an iron-dependent form of regulated cell death driven by lipid peroxidation, has been increasingly implicated in selected ocular diseases, although its causal relevance varies across disease entities. The retina and retinal pigment epithelium are biologically susceptible to ferroptosis-related injury because of their high oxygen demand, abundant polyunsaturated lipids, mitochondrial activity, light exposure, and tightly regulated iron handling. This review summarizes core mechanisms of ocular ferroptosis, including iron uptake and export, glutathione-glutathione peroxidase 4 (GPX4)-dependent antioxidant defense, lipid peroxidation, mitochondrial dysfunction, neuroinflammation, and blood-retina barrier disruption. We discuss evidence from major degenerative, vascular, ischemic, hereditary, infectious, and immune-mediated retinal diseases, with particular attention to glaucoma, age-related macular degeneration, diabetic retinopathy, ocular toxoplasmosis, uveitis, retinal vasculitis, and inflammatory chorioretinopathy. We also evaluate ferroptosis-targeted therapeutic strategies, proposed operational criteria for defining ferroptosis in retinal disease, and candidate structural, functional, biochemical, and imaging endpoints for future translational studies. Current evidence supports ferroptosis as a context-dependent contributor to retinal injury rather than a uniform pathogenic mechanism. Future studies should integrate cell-type-resolved biomarkers, lipidomic and imaging readouts, functional rescue experiments, and clinically meaningful visual outcomes to clarify when ferroptosis modulation may support vision preservation.</p>","PeriodicalId":14312,"journal":{"name":"International journal of ophthalmology","volume":"19 9","pages":"1858-1877"},"PeriodicalIF":2.0,"publicationDate":"2026-09-18","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13501049/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148812982","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Orbital compartment syndrome following the use of sinonasal oxidized cellulose and gelatin sponge hemostat: report of two cases and literature review.","authors":"Hossein Ghahvehchian, Mohsen Bahmani Kashkouli, Nasser Karimi, Mansooreh Jamshidian Tehrani, Gholamhoseyn Aghai, Amir Manavishad","doi":"10.18240/ijo.2026.09.24","DOIUrl":"10.18240/ijo.2026.09.24","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":14312,"journal":{"name":"International journal of ophthalmology","volume":"19 9","pages":"1886-1890"},"PeriodicalIF":2.0,"publicationDate":"2026-09-18","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13501044/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148813009","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Relationship between retinal nerve fibre thickness, suprasellar extension and post-operative visual outcome in pituitary macroadenoma.","authors":"Teck Chee Cheng, Mae-Lynn Catherine Bastion, Norshamsiah Md Din, Jegan Thanabalan, Kah Lay Oh, Seng Fai Tang, Diana Lim, Amalina Saiful Anwar, Safinaz Mohd Khialdin","doi":"10.18240/ijo.2026.09.11","DOIUrl":"10.18240/ijo.2026.09.11","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Aim: </strong>To evaluate the relationship between retinal nerve fibre layer (RNFL) thickness, suprasellar extension (SSE), tumour volume (TV) and visual outcome after pituitary adenoma surgery.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>A prospective observational study was conducted in a tertiary teaching hospital which included patients with pituitary macroadenoma who required surgical resection between December 2015 to February 2020. Agreeable subjects underwent complete ocular examination, Humphrey visual field (HVF) and RNFL measurement using spectral domain optical coherence tomography preoperatively and 3-month postoperatively. Post-operative visual outcome was evaluated using both best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA, logMAR) and HVF mean deviation (MD). TV was estimated by multiplying the transverse, anteroposterior, and craniocaudal maximum diameter; and SSE by measuring tumour extension beyond the supraclinoid internal carotid artery from magnetic resonance imaging.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Thirty-eight patients (18 males) were recruited. The mean age was 47.6±14.8y. The median and interquartile range (IQR) was 10.78 (6.45-16.94) cm³ and 14.05 (4.99-22.90) mm for TV and SSE, respectively. While postoperative RNFL significantly reduced in all sectors, significant improvement was seen in median BCVA in logMAR (from 0.301 to 0.176, <i>P</i><0.001) and MD of HVF (from -10.04 to -3.91, <i>P</i><0.001). Pre-operative global RNFL was significantly correlated with post-operative logMAR (<i>r</i>=-0.303, <i>P</i>=0.015) and MD (<i>r</i>=0.510, <i>P</i><0.001). Only SSE showed significant negative correlations with all RNFL sectors. Each 10 µm thicker pre-operative global RNFL was associated with 0.13 lower (better) postoperative logMAR (<i>β</i>=-0.013, <i>P</i><0.001) and 0.83 dB higher (better) MD (<i>β</i>=0.083, <i>P</i>=0.008). Patients with normal RNFL had better post-operative MD [median (IQR)=-2.35 (-1.45, -5.94)] than with thinned RNFL [median (IQR)=-6.63 (-2.80, -8.77), <i>P</i>=0.009].</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>SSE shows stronger association with RNFL thinning than TV, and thicker pre-operative RNFL predicted better post-operative visual outcomes.</p>","PeriodicalId":14312,"journal":{"name":"International journal of ophthalmology","volume":"19 9","pages":"1757-1765"},"PeriodicalIF":2.0,"publicationDate":"2026-09-18","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13501025/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148813034","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Visual and accommodative outcomes after femtosecond LASIK with and without monovision in patients over 40 years.","authors":"Yuan-Yuan Qi, Qi Li, Gui-Li Wang, Hui-Yu Wang, Wan-Ting Li, Shao-Zhen Zhao","doi":"10.18240/ijo.2026.09.09","DOIUrl":"10.18240/ijo.2026.09.09","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Aim: </strong>To evaluate changes in visual acuity and accommodation function following femtosecond laser-assisted <i>in situ</i> keratomileusis (FS-LASIK) combined with monovision in patients aged over 40y.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>This prospective, non-randomized cohort study included patients who were divided into an FS-LASIK binocular group (full correction) and an FS-LASIK monovision group. The binocular group consisted of Group 1 (15 patients) with simple myopia and Group 2 (12 patients) with myopia and presbyopia. The monovision group (Group 3) included 13 patients with myopia and presbyopia. Parameters assessed included the uncorrected distance visual acuity (UCVA), the uncorrected near visual acuity (UNVA), contrast sensitivity (CS), binocular cross-cylinder (BCC), accommodative amplitude (AMP), positive relative accommodation (PRA), negative relative accommodation (NRA), and accommodative facility (AF). Patient satisfaction was evaluated at 3mo postoperatively.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>A total of 40 patients (80 eyes) were enrolled (mean age 43.63±3.666y; 12 males). At 3mo after FS-LASIK, UCVA improved significantly in all patients (<i>P</i><0.001), while UNVA remained comparable to preoperative levels (<i>P</i>>0.05). BCC in Group 3 decreased by 0.30±0.43 compared to preoperative levels, showing a statistically significant difference (<i>P</i>=0.037). The AMP in Group 3 showed an increasing trend with greater improvement in the nondominant eye than in the dominant eye (<i>P</i>>0.05). Patient satisfaction was high in all groups.</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>FS-LASIK combined with monovision is an effective treatment for patients aged over 40y with myopia and presbyopia, which not only improves visual acuity but also achieves high patient satisfaction and improves postoperative BCC.</p>","PeriodicalId":14312,"journal":{"name":"International journal of ophthalmology","volume":"19 9","pages":"1739-1748"},"PeriodicalIF":2.0,"publicationDate":"2026-09-18","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13501039/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148812996","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Resveratrol mitigates hypoxia-induced mitochondrial oxidative damage and apoptosis <i>via</i> inhibition of TRPA1 channel in retinal pigment epithelial cells.","authors":"Mehmet Argun, Mustafa Nazıroğlu","doi":"10.18240/ijo.2026.09.03","DOIUrl":"10.18240/ijo.2026.09.03","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Aim: </strong>To investigate the modulator action of resveratrol (RSV) through the suppression of transient receptor potential ankyrin 1 (TRPA1) on the hypoxia (HPO)-caused oxidative degeneration and apoptosis in human retinal pigment epithelial cells (ARPE19).</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>The control (CNT), RSV (50 µmol/L for 24h), HPO (200 µmol/L CoCl₂ for 24h), and HPO+RSV groups were induced in the ARPE19. Apoptosis, caspases (caspases 3, 8, and 9), oxidants [lipid peroxidation, oxygen free radical (OFR), and dysfunction of mitochondrial membrane], antioxidants (glutathione and glutathione peroxidase), Ca²⁺, Zn²⁺ levels, live cell number and percentage were all measured in the cells of four groups.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>The HPO increased Ca²⁺ and Zn²⁺ fluorescence intensity in the cells. It also upregulated the apoptosis, caspases, and oxidant indicators while downregulating the antioxidants, and the count of live cells. TRPA1 agonist (cinnamonaldehyde) further upregulated these indicators (all <i>P</i><0.05). When the HPO-induced increase in TRPA1 activation was treated with RSV and the TRPA1 antagonist (AP18), cell viability and antioxidants rose while the oxidant and apoptotic indicators decreased due to TRPA1 suppression (<i>P</i><0.05).</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>HPO exposure through TRPA1-mediated Ca²⁺ signaling, induces mitochondrial oxidative cell cytotoxicity and death, which may offer a treatment option for HPO-induced retinal disorders linked to increased OFR and Ca²⁺ influx.</p>","PeriodicalId":14312,"journal":{"name":"International journal of ophthalmology","volume":"19 9","pages":"1676-1686"},"PeriodicalIF":2.0,"publicationDate":"2026-09-18","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13501031/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148813001","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Childhood myopia in the modern environment: modifiable risk factors and evidence-based prevention.","authors":"Farheen Tariq, Shi-Long Huang, Bing-Xin Ren, Ju Zhang, Xiao Lin, Xin-Hai Wang, Hua Gao","doi":"10.18240/ijo.2026.09.20","DOIUrl":"10.18240/ijo.2026.09.20","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>This review aimed to summarize modifiable environmental and lifestyle risk factors for childhood myopia and evaluate evidence-based preventive strategies for family, school, and public health practice. Following the PRISMA-ScR framework, relevant studies on children aged 5-18y published up to January 2026 were retrieved from mainstream databases, and eligible literature was synthesized according to study design and evidence level. Reduced outdoor activity, excessive near-work and screen exposure, urban residence, insufficient sleep, and gene-environment interaction are major risk factors for childhood myopia. Daily outdoor activity of 1-2h or longer confers protective effects <i>via</i> promoting retinal dopamine release and inhibiting axial elongation, whereas prolonged close work and excessive screen time notably elevate myopia risk. Optimizing outdoor time, regulating ocular use habits, ensuring sufficient sleep, and implementing school-based interventions are core evidence-based preventive measures, and wearable devices and objective biomarkers can facilitate behavioral management and intervention evaluation. In conclusion, childhood myopia is influenced by multiple adjustable factors; increased outdoor exposure is the most effective preventive measure, and combined behavioral and policy interventions are essential to curb the global prevalence of childhood myopia and prevent subsequent severe visual complications.</p>","PeriodicalId":14312,"journal":{"name":"International journal of ophthalmology","volume":"19 9","pages":"1847-1857"},"PeriodicalIF":2.0,"publicationDate":"2026-09-18","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13501042/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148812805","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Safety and effectiveness of Bian-stone and moxibustion in treatment of meibomian gland dysfunction.","authors":"Ran Hao, Xue-Mei Bai, Da-Lan Jing, Xiao-Dan Jiang, Xue-Min Li","doi":"10.18240/ijo.2026.09.06","DOIUrl":"10.18240/ijo.2026.09.06","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Aim: </strong>To propose a novel Bian-stone and moxibustion (BSM) therapy for meibomian gland dysfunction (MGD) treatment, and to evaluate its clinical efficacy and safety based on objective ocular surface parameters.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>A total of 140 patients with MGD were enrolled in this randomized controlled study and equally allocated (1:1 ratio) into the BSM group and the intense pulsed light (IPL) group. Patients in the BSM group received 30-minute BSM treatment every other day. Subjects in the IPL group completed four independent treatment sessions. The evaluated outcomes included the Ocular Surface Disease Index (OSDI), eyelid margin morphology, meibomian gland (MG) morphology and function, tear film breakup time (TBUT), ocular surface staining (OSS) score, Schirmer's test (ST), and tear meniscus height (TMH). All assessments were performed at baseline, as well as at 1- and 3-month follow-ups after treatment.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>The BSM group consisted of 24 males and 47 females with a mean age of 59.04±16.50y, while the IPL group included 27 males and 42 females with a mean age of 60.39±15.90y. No significant differences in age, sex distribution, and clinical history were observed between the two groups. At 1 and 3mo post-treatment, the BSM group exhibited significant improvements in OSDI scores, eyelid margin hyperemia and neovascularization, MG expression, secretion status and gland loss, conjunctival hyperemia, and TBUT. Notably, the BSM group achieved superior improvements in OSDI scores and eyelid neovascularization compared with the IPL group at the 3-month follow-up. Additionally, significant reductions in eyelid margin edema and irregularity were only observed in the BSM group at 3mo after intervention.</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>BSM therapy can effectively relieve clinical symptoms and restore tear film homeostasis in patients with MGD, serving as a promising and viable therapeutic approach for MGD management.</p>","PeriodicalId":14312,"journal":{"name":"International journal of ophthalmology","volume":"19 9","pages":"1711-1719"},"PeriodicalIF":2.0,"publicationDate":"2026-09-18","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13501030/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148813004","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}