Objective: To analyze the morphological characteristics of meibomian glands in human eyes and to explore the application research of meibomian glands analysis system in ocular surface diseases. Methods: A total of 24 healthy subjects were recruited by Zhongshan Ophthalmic Center to infrared photography of meibomian glands. Ten of healthy subjects were selected by the two operators for infrared photography of meibomian glands on the same model of equipment. The images were repeatedly measured and analyzed by the self-designed analysis software on the morphological measurements of the five glands in the center of the upper eyelid. Results: The measured biological parameters are shown below: the average gland diameter was (0.48±0.09) mm, the average gland length was (5.25±0.68) mm, the average gland area was (2.12±0.53) mm, the gland deformation coefficient was 10.01±3.85, the development value was 6.32±1.23, the percentage of the five central glands in the central area was (10.94±2.20)%, and the glands accounted for (58.07±8.13)% of the upper conjunctiva area. There was no statistical difference between the two measurements of each index (P>0.05). Repeatability analysis results showed that coefficients of variation (CV) of all biological parameters of glands were less than 5% and the intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) in both groups were greater than 0.95. Conclusion: The Meibomian Gland Bioimage Analyzer provides good reliability and consistency for morphological measurements of the meibomian gland, and it is expected to provide new non-invasive indicators for clinical assessment of the meibomian glands function.
