July 17, 2017
2 min read
Save

BLOG: Dry Eye Awareness Month: Victory or jumped the shark?

While perusing Twitter over coffee, I came across this gem: July has been declared Dry Eye Awareness Month. You might think that this is old news for a dry eye “OG” like me, but to be honest I had no idea that July was such an important and auspicious month in the Gregorian calendar. Being the ever curious creature that I am, I thought I’d do a bit of digging into this august characteristic of July.

That Twitter post mentioned the Tear Film and Ocular Surface Society (TFOS), which just brought us DEWS II. (Did you know they trademarked “DEWS II?” What’s up with that? Should someone trademark “AREDS2?”) As an aside, how about a little poll of dry eye disease docs out there: Who’s in TFOS? Frankly I just figured out what TFOS stands for when I Googled Dry Eye Awareness Month. TFOS is working with something called the “vision care community and its coalition partners” to talk about DED this month. Perhaps that’s who got Dry Eye Awareness Month on the calendar?

Applying my black belt Google-Fu skills, I discovered that then-Minnesota Senator Mark Dayton proposed in June 2006 that July be named Dry Eye Awareness Month at the behest of the National Women’s Health Resource Center and — wait for it — Allergan. Now we’re getting somewhere. This only leaves a couple of questions out there, like, why has Dry Eye Awareness Month been such a well-kept secret? Work with me here, people. We should be able to create all kinds of tifosi for treating DED, even if you aren’t a member of TFOS. While I’m at it, why July? All of my DED patients feel better in July than any other month.

How about other “Awareness Months” for the vision care community and its coalition partners? Did you know that February is Age-Related Macular Degeneration Awareness month? Neither did I. Or that April is Presbyopia Awareness Month? Hey J&J, whaddaya say we hit up AARP and get that changed to January? Everybody is a bit slow in January.

Anyway, from my family to yours, have a happy Dry Eye Awareness Month.

Disclosure: White reports he is a consultant for Bausch + Lomb, Allergan, Shire and Eyemaginations; is on the speakers board for Bausch + Lomb, Allergan and Shire; and has a financial interest in TearScience.