{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,10,10]],"date-time":"2026-10-10T15:03:34Z","timestamp":1791644614027,"version":"4.3.4"},"reference-count":36,"publisher":"MDPI AG","issue":"8","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2026,4,16]],"date-time":"2026-04-16T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1776297600000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["JCM"],"abstract":"<jats:p>Background\/Objectives: Corneal epithelial thickness (CET) alterations reflect distinct mechanisms in aqueous-deficient and evaporative dry eye disease (DED) subtypes. In this study, we compare the CET profiles between patients with Sj\u00f6gren\u2019s syndrome (SS) and those with meibomian gland dysfunction (MGD) to elucidate the underlying mechanisms. Methods: We retrospectively analyzed 30 patients with SS and 30 age- and sex-matched with MGD. Assessments included corneal staining, Ocular Surface Disease Index (OSDI), tear meniscus height (TMH), non-invasive breakup time, lipid layer thickness (LLT), and anterior segment optical coherence tomography (AS-OCT) CET mapping. Regional CET and superior\u2013inferior asymmetry were compared. Results: The SS group exhibited higher corneal staining scores (2.18 \u00b1 1.23 vs. 1.03 \u00b1 1.18, p = 0.001) and lower TMHs (0.14 \u00b1 0.06 vs. 0.18 \u00b1 0.07 mm, p = 0.013), while the MGD group reported greater OSDI scores (40.39 \u00b1 22.49 vs. 31.25 \u00b1 22.81, p = 0.029). A significantly thinner central epithelium (p = 0.043) and localized inferior paracentral thinning (2\u20135 mm zone, p = 0.008) were noted in SS. Corneal staining was identified as the primary independent predictor of central and inferior CET reduction in both groups. In the MGD group, LLT was associated with the preserved inferior CET (p = 0.045) and superior\u2013inferior thickness difference (p = 0.015). Conclusions: Distinct structural signatures are observed between DED subtypes. SS features central\/inferior thinning from aqueous deficiency-mediated friction, whereas MGD shows a relatively preserved epithelial thickness influenced by LLT. Regional CET analysis may provide mechanistic insights into DED subtyping.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3390\/jcm15083055","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2026,4,16]],"date-time":"2026-04-16T15:14:12Z","timestamp":1776352452000},"page":"3055","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/mdpi_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":1,"title":["Comparison of Corneal Epithelial Thickness Profiles Between Aqueous-Deficient and Evaporative Dry Eye Disease"],"prefix":"10.3390","volume":"15","author":[{"given":"Yeonwoo","family":"Jin","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Ophthalmology, Yonsei University Wonju College of Medicine, 20 Ilsan-ro, Wonju 26426, Gangwon-Do, Republic of Korea"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-1082-1668","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Sangwon","family":"Han","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Ophthalmology, Yonsei University Wonju College of Medicine, 20 Ilsan-ro, Wonju 26426, Gangwon-Do, Republic of Korea"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-5305-4430","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Sun Woong","family":"Kim","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Ophthalmology, Yonsei University Wonju College of Medicine, 20 Ilsan-ro, Wonju 26426, Gangwon-Do, Republic of Korea"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"1968","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2026,4,16]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref_1","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"276","DOI":"10.1016\/j.jtos.2017.05.008","article-title":"TFOS DEWS II definition and classification report","volume":"15","author":"Craig","year":"2017","journal-title":"Ocul. 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