Our Story
Upon graduation from ophthalmology residency, Dr. Maskin focused his fellowship years on learning more about dry eye and the ocular surface. In his 3 years of fellowship at Bascom Palmer Eye Institute, he began his work on Meibomian Glands (MG), researching in vitro culture of MG epithelial clones in serum free media and how growth factors affect gland proliferation and differentiation.
In 1991, he founded his practice, The Dry Eye and Cornea Treatment Center in Tampa, Florida, focused on complex corneal and ocular surface conditions. As his practice grew, he implemented his specialized and multifaceted care strategies for patients to great success and received many referrals for dry eye patients. He has now managed MGD for over 25 years.
As he saw an expanding population of significant dry eye sufferers, he grew increasingly frustrated with available conventional options for therapy (lid hygiene, oral and topical antibiotics, and topical steroid) and the seemingly incomplete understanding of the underlying cause of Meibomian Gland Dysfunction (MGD). Dr. Maskin was continually plagued by such questions as:
Why do we see atrophy in certain parts of glands resulting in short glands whereas other glands in the same lid are completely atrophic?
Why would the lid get tender over a gland?
Why would this tenderness be present at times, whether or not the gland showed expressible meibum?
The hypothesis was that the key to the MGD mystery was in the gland itself.
Over a decade ago, a patient came to Dr. Maskin and had received treatment from multiple ophthalmologists without relief for his excruciatingly tender lids and debilitating dry eyes. With the patient’s consent, Dr. Maskin utilized an early version MG probe and entered 5 glands in a lower lid, immediately encountering multiple moments of resistance along the duct and observing a popping sound as numerous points of resistance were released and pressure equilibrated.
After the ducts had been restored and freed from constriction, meibum was once again able to flow. The patient felt immediate relief and asked Dr. Maskin to proceed probing the rest of his glands. By the time the patient left, he was smiling and for the first time in years, able to be active in the world once again. To this day, he and many other similar patients remain strong, dedicated advocates of this procedure.
Since that time, Dr. Maskin continued to develop the probing procedure and further investigate the anatomical conditions. Research coupled with clinical testimonies yielded evidence of successful treatment by releasing the fibrotic constrictions from Meibomian Glands.
After years of development, Dr. Maskin founded MGD Innovations to spread education and resources to make comprehensive dry eye treatment more widely available. Innovations and research continue to this day.
MGD Innovations has a goal to educate and empower both patients and doctors with research-based support for managing dry eye and the contributing factors leading to disease progression.
To get in contact with the team, email info@mgdi.com.