Meibomian gland dysfunction (MGD) is a common ophthalmic disease, which is the main cause of evaporative dry eye. Population-based studies have suggested that the prevalence of MGD is high in Asia, with a reported incidence of 46.2% to 69.3%. Current modalities of MGD treatment include lid hygiene, warm compresses,massage, artificial lubricants, systemic and topical antibiotics, etc., among which warm compress is a common at-home treatment. Due to different eyelid warming methods, temperature, durations of heat application, frequency and compliance, there is no uniform standard for the application of warm compress to the treatment of MGD.In addition, adverse events of warm compress, such as blurred vision and thermal damage, have not attracted enough attention in clinical practice. Therefore, in order to improve the clinical efficacy of warm compress and reduce its adverse events, it is necessary to conduct standardized guidance or treatment of warm compress in the future. Based on the above considerations, this article will briefly review the application of warm compress to the treatment of MGD.
