An overview of the LIME Working Group

Clinical research on conditions affecting the meibomian glands was increasingly being conducted during the first decade of this century. The Lid and Meibomian gland (LIME) Working Group was launched in February 2012 in order to promote that research, to disseminate information on treatment of those conditions, and to improve the quality of that research.

The LIME Working Group meets 2 times a year, and the LIME Working Group has conducted 5 international seminars featuring lecturers from overseas. In addition, the LIME Working Group showcases its activities through an instruction course for a society of clinical ophthalmology here in Japan and presentations to ophthalmological societies at home and abroad.

Among the conditions affecting the meibomian glands, meibomian gland dysfunction (MGD) affects the greatest number of people. MGD has attracted attention worldwide as principal cause of dry eye, and MGD is one area we are working in.

We took a first step toward accurately diagnosing MGD and gaining a better understanding of its treatment in 2013, when we produced a DVD on warm compresses and eyelid hygiene as forms of care patients could perform at home.

The 7 ophthalmologists in the LIME Working Group have been working with a number of companies since the Group was founded, and the LIME Working Group is grateful for their support. In the future, though, the LIME Working Group is looking to play an even larger role. The LIME Working Group is seeking to ascertain how and why conditions affect the meibomian glands from multiple perspectives, to prevent those conditions, and develop treatments for those conditions.

Conditions affecting the meibomian glands have long been recognized. In the future, however, the LIME Working Group is seeking to gain a correct understanding of those conditions and to disseminate information on their treatment. With your help, we hope to make those goals a reality.