Management workflow
Blepharitis and MGD: foundations beat drops.
OptoGuide™ structures triage and management so the plan is in front of you — lid hygiene and warm compresses as the foundation, with clear cues for when to escalate.
Structured for Australian optometry practice. Clinically reviewed by Dr Ankit Mathur, PhD, Grad Cert Ocu Thera, B.S. Optom.
Clinical decision support only
Red flags — assess urgently before anything else
Chronic lid-margin disease is optometrist-managed; focal, unilateral, or spreading signs support escalation.
- Marked focal lid tenderness or a focal abscess.
- Unilateral severe or spreading lid swelling.
- Reduced vision or photophobia.
- A concern for preseptal or orbital cellulitis.
One connected workflow, not separate lookups
Recognition, management, prescribing, and referral usually live in different tools. In OptoGuide™ they are one path — each step hands off to the next so the decision keeps moving.
Step 1
Triage the presentation and findings
Start from the presenting complaint, then the findings — lid-margin telangiectasia, capped or plugged meibomian glands, and a foamy tear film, with grittiness, burning, and intermittent blur.
- Recognise lid-margin disease and the meibomian-gland component.
- Look for co-existing surface instability to treat together.
Step 2
Open the management workflow
Open the condition for structured, optometrist-led management — warm compresses to soften meibum, lid hygiene and lid-margin cleaning, and lubricants for surface instability.
- Foundation therapy — warm compress and lid hygiene — is the first-line.
- Treat co-existing dry eye together for a durable result.
Step 3
Know when to escalate
The workflow keeps the escalation cues visible so routine lid-margin disease still has a defined path out when the picture changes. The clinician confirms findings and stays responsible.
- Escalate for marked focal lid tenderness, a focal abscess, or a cellulitis concern.
- Escalate for unilateral severe swelling, reduced vision, or photophobia.
Clinical basis
This guidance reflects standard optometric clinical reasoning based on:
- Australian optometry clinical practice patterns
- Australian medicines regulation and PBS prescribing context
- Common ophthalmology referral standards
- Evidence-based clinical training and practice
Put the lid-disease plan in front of you at the point of care.
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