Experts update legislators on dry eye disease at congressional briefing

The Alliance for Eye and Vision Research and the Tear Film and Ocular Surface Society attended a congressional briefing and conducted a “test your tears” dry eye screening in recognition of July as Dry Eye Awareness Month.

The Alliance for Eye and Vision Research (AEVR) and the Tear Film and Ocular Surface Society (TFOS) were joined at the briefing by the American Academy of Ophthalmology, the American Academy of Optometry, the American Optometric Association, the Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology, Prevent Blindness and Research to Prevent Blindness.

According to a report on AEVR’s website, the TFOS Dry Eye Workshop II (TFOS DEWS II) —which was published in July 2017 in The Ocular Surface journal — and its impact on clinical practice and research was the focus of the congressional briefing. TFOS DEWS II, as previously reported, updated the definition, classification and diagnosis of dry eye; evaluated its epidemiology, pathophysiology, mechanism and impact; addressed the management and therapy of the disease; and developed new clinical trial design recommendations to better assess pharmaceutical interventions.

At the Congressional Briefing, a four-expert panel moderated by David A. Sullivan, MS, PhD, FARVO, founder of TFOS, senior scientist for the Schepens Eye Research Institute and associate professor in the department of ophthalmology at Harvard Medical School, provided an overview of the health and cost burden associated with dry eye disease. The panel also explained what dry eye disease is, who is affected by the disease, who is at the highest risk, the commonly experienced symptoms and the many causes of dry eye.

The causes and comorbidities associated with dry eye disease was further explained by Janine Austin-Clayton, MD, NIH associate director for research on women’s health and director for the NIH office of research on women’s health, according to the report on the AEVR website.

Penny Asbell, MD, professor of ophthalmology for Icahn School of Medicine at Mt. Sinai highlighted the need for more research into the relationship of dry eye disease and contact lenses. According to the report, it is currently unknown whether contact lenses cause dry eye or if underlying dry eye disease leads to contact lens discomfort.

Leslie O’Dell, OD, FAAO, of Wheatlyn Eye Care in York, Pa., underscored the adverse effects associated with cosmetic use and the incidence of ocular surface disease and dry eye disease. She explained that many commonly used eye makeup and beauty products contain ingredients that can affect how the meibomian glands function and lubricate the tear film. This can exacerbate dry eye symptoms and, in patients with ocular surface disease, increase the inflammation-evaporative load. According to the report, O’Dell’s presentation has led to an effort to “update the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act to require manufacturers to register ingredients of personal care products and any adverse reactions with the FDA” through congressional proposals.

Finally, the relationship between digital eye strain and dry eye disease was explained by Scott Schachter, OD, adjunct clinical professor at Marshall B. Ketchum University. He reported that 83% of Americans use digital devices more than 2 hours a day, 60% experience digital eye strain, and 68% of children regularly use a digital device by age 3 years. This, Schachter explained, has resulted in a larger proportion of younger patients being affected by dry eye disease.

Benjamin D. Sullivan, PhD, chief scientific officer of TearLab, conducted the tear screening before and after the congressional by using the TearLab Osmolarity System and other methods.

“The Dry Eye Awareness Month events are accomplishing what AEVR and TFOS intended —educating policymakers about the need for more research into dry eye disease, especially as to how numerous factors, including everyday lifestyle/activity decisions, are resulting in a dramatic increase in disease incidence,” James Jorkasky, executive director of AEVR, said in the release.