Meibomian gland dysfunction is the most common cause of dry eye disease, which is a prevalent condition that can damage the ocular surface and cause reduced vision and substantial pain. Meibum secreted from the meibomian glands makes up the majority of the outer, protective lipid layer of the tear film. Changes in the secreted meibum and markers of glandular damage can be detected through tear sampling.
Several studies have investigated the tear film protein expression in meibomian gland dysfunction, but less work apply machine learning to analyze the protein patterns. We use machine learning and methods from explainable artificial intelligence to detect potential clinically relevant proteins in meibomian gland dysfunction. Two different explainable artificial intelligence methods are compared. Several of the proteins found important in the models have been linked to dry eye disease in the past, while some are novel. Consequently, explainable artificial intelligence methods serve as a promising tool for screening for proteins that are relevant for meibomian gland dysfunction. By doing so, one may be able to discover new biomarkers and treatments, and gain a better understanding of how diseases develop.