Prevalence of Meibomian Gland Dysfunction and Its Determinants in a Deprived Rural Population of Iran: A Population-Based Cross-Sectional Study

To investigate the prevalence of Meibomian gland dysfunction (MGD) and its relationship with some determinants in underserved villages of Iran. This population-based cross-sectional study was conducted on 3850 subjects that were randomly selected from the villages of two underserved districts in the north and southwest of Iran using multistage cluster sampling. All participants underwent complete ophthalmic examinations, including visual acuity and refraction measurement. Then, slit-lamp biomicroscopy was done by an ophthalmologist to investigate MGD. Of 3850 subjects that were invited, 3314 participated in the study (participation rate=86.07%), of whom 1834 (55.34%) were women. The mean age of the participants was 37.7±21.4 years (range=2-93 years). The prevalence (95% CI) of MGD in at least one eye was 29.20% (27.35 to 31.06). According to the results of multiple regression analysis, MGD had a positive association with the male sex (OR: 1.75; CI 95%: 1.44 to 2.13), age 61-70 years (OR: 7.15; CI 95%: 3.65 to 14.01), and living in southern villages (OR: 1.82; CI 95%: 1.48 to 2.22) and an inverse association with education level (OR: 0.89; CI 95%: 0.80 to 0.98). The results of this study showed a lower prevalence of MGD even in Iranian rural regions compared to other Asian countries. This study found that older age, male sex, and low education level served as MGD risk factors. It seems that improved health conditions are an important factor in preventing MGD.