Its just Dry Eye Disease, or is it?

How many times have we as clinicians initially presumed "a default diagnosis" of Dry Eye Disease just based on symptoms?  Dr. Bill Townsend discusses Conjunctivochalasis which is an example of "other causes" we must remember when patients are having symptoms of Dry Eye Disease. Conjunctivochalasis By William Townsend, OD, … [Read more...]

Chronic BAK exposure is associated with an increase in tear osmolarity

Dr. Eldridge began an interesting thread this past week regarding ocular surface disease in glaucoma patients. He reminded us that dry eye disease can often be silent in patients after chronic administration of BAK preservatives have reduced corneal … [Read more...]

Breakthrough in Diagnosing Dry Eye and Staging Disease Severity

In January's edition of Cataract and Refractive Surgery Today,  Jay Pepose, MD, PhD says.... A lot depends on treating patients with dry eye disease. Nearly one in five individuals in North America has dry eye disease (DED); it may be one of the most common yet frequently undiagnosed and untreated problems seen every day by … [Read more...]

TearLab Osmolarity System CLIA Waiver Issued By FDA

SAN DIEGO, January 24, 2012 -- TearLab Corporation (NASDAQ:TEAR; TSX:TLB) ("TearLab" or the "Company") announced today that, after reviewing and accepting labeling submitted to it by the Company, the U.S Food and Drug Administration (“FDA”) has now granted Waiver categorization under the Clinical Laboratory Improvement … [Read more...]

Chronic administration of BAK appears to alter corneal sensitivity

Ocular Surface Disease can be a major problem for glaucoma patients and could result in cell damage, discomfort, loss of quality of vision as well as Quality of Life issues.  Patients may not be able to give reliable feedback regarding dry eye disease.  In the Dec 2011 Journal of French Ophthalmology, Van Went et al evaluated … [Read more...]

Recent study shows preservative-free tafluprost offers effective treatment with less ocular surface impact for glaucoma patients

We have known for years BAK is often a cause for ocular discomfort for patients. "Effects of preservative-free tafluprost on tear film osmolarity, tolerability, and intraocular pressure in previously treated patients with open-angle glaucoma" in Clinical Ophthalmology Jan 2012 looks at tear osmolarity, corneal staining and OSDI in … [Read more...]

Diurnal variation of tear osmolarity in normal subjects measured by a new microchip system

Normal subjects showed no variation over a day, confirming that a properly functioning tear film is characterized by its low and stable concentration. This study provides further evidence that eye-to-eye variability is the hallmark of Dry Eye Disease. As shown in Lemp et al. [AJO 2011], dry eye disease subjects showed … [Read more...]

ESTABLISHING A DRY EYE SUBSPECIALTY CLINIC

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See this weeks Practice Pearl from Paul Karpecki, OD where he discusses the many diagnostic instruments he would like to include in his "dream dry eye practice". He mentions the TearLab Osmolarity System, among others. http://www.revoptom.com/email/010912_pearl86_v2.html … [Read more...]

Link Between Ocular Surface Disease and Quality of Life in Glaucoma Patients

A link between Quality of Life scores in patients treated for Dry Eye Disease and Glaucoma is documented in the Jan. 2012 American Journal of Ophthalmology publication.  As clinicians we need to be aware of the decrease in QOL with increasing Glaucoma severity by monitoring the ocular surface carefully. Link Between Ocular … [Read more...]

The Evolving Role of Biomarkers

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Biomarkers are becoming more and more important in patient care and this article by Elyse Chaglasian, OD presents multiple examples how eye care practitioners can care for their patients..... http://www.reviewofcontactlenses.com/content/c/31008/ … [Read more...]