Point-of-service tests may complement approach to dry eye patients

You have all seen this scene before. The eager student asks the teacher: “Master, should I strive for accuracy or should I try to be faster?” You know what is coming as soon as the Master raises the student’s chin with his hand. “Yes,” the Master answers with an inscrutable smile.

Whether you are a well-established dry eye expert or just considering adding a dry eye service to your clinic’s offerings, the list of questions you will need to answer just got a little bit longer. Should your clinic have TearLab tear osmolarity (TearLab Corporation) or the recently approved and CLIA-waived InflammaDry (RPS)? The short answer is “yes.” It is not possible in this day and age to provide the highest-quality care for dry eye syndrome (DES) or ocular surface disease (OSD) without having one or the other of these important tests. Like most modern care paradigms, the care of DES/OSD now includes all three of the elements in the three-pronged approach to modern medical care: high-tech diagnostic testing, pathology-specific treatment and the skills of a well-trained physician. Indeed, “yes” might mean both. Get the whole story