Prioritizing treatment of underlying inflammation key in dry eye disease

ByKate Burba

Prioritizing the treatment of underlying inflammation may lead to better outcomes for patients with dry eye disease, according to speakers at the virtual OIS Dry Eye Innovation Showcase.

“There are many components to dry eye disease. It is very complex, and I like the fact that it’s not a cookie cutter approach. Every patient has a different nuanced version of this multifactorial disease,” Cynthia Matossian, MD, FACS, said. “But at the kernel of it, there is an inflammatory process and there’s a dysregulation of the homeostasis.”

Cynthia Matossian, MD, FACS

To treat dry eye and the underlying inflammation, Matossian enlists a balanced approach. She first uses in-office deep clean procedures to ensure patient hygiene followed by at-home remedies such as wearing heated masks or performing lid scrubs. Subsequent pharmaceutical therapies help to manage lingering inflammation and future flare-ups.

While industry involvement has led to many tools on the market to identify and treat the root cause of inflammation, many eye care providers are still not prescribing supplemental anti-inflammatory therapies. Yuna Rapoport, MD, MPH, said a cause of this may be the preconceived notion held by some physicians and patients that dry eye is “not a real condition” that needs medical treatment.

Similarly, a patient may be hesitant to start clinical medication, Ana Alzaga Fernandez, MD, said. Instead, patients continue to use ocular lubricants alone and often do not see the results they want. For these reasons, greater emphasis on broader dry eye education is needed.

“It’s important to act, not leave it as a last resort,” Alzaga Fernandez said. “Think about how to tackle and appropriately treat inflammation early on, especially in those patients that may have an autoimmune condition that may be triggering this inflammation.”

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Sources/Disclosures

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Source:

Matossian C, et al. Dry eye outlook panel – clinical perspective. Presented at: OIS Dry Eye Innovation Showcase; March 11, 2021 (virtual meeting).

Disclosures: Alzaga Fernandez reports she serves as an assistant professor of ophthalmology at Weill Cornell Medicine. Matossian reports she is the founder and medical director of Matossian Eye Associates, president of the American College of Eye Surgeons, vice president of New York Intraocular Lens Implant Society and director of development for Women in Ophthalmology. Rapoport reports she serves as the director of Manhattan Eye.

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Prioritizing treatment of underlying inflammation key in dry eye disease

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