Future in eye care features compliance-enhancing treatments
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Chris Wroten, OD, presented an overview at this year’s SECO meeting covering a broad range of eye care technologies and treatments that became recently available or are quickly coming down the pipeline and may increase patient compliance.
“I’m extremely excited about what the future holds for eye care and our ability to increase the quality of life of our patients with all of these new technologies, newly released and approved drugs, and new therapeutic procedures that are within our realm of influence,” Wroten told Healio/Primary Care Optometry News in an interview.
Wroten spoke about the new Upneeq eye drop (oxymetazoline HCl ophthalmic solution 0.1%, RVL Pharmaceuticals), a topical solution that lifts the eyelid. He said that patients in his practice have shown a 2 mm to 3 mm lift within 15 to 20 minutes of instillation, and it lasts most of the day.
“For our patients who are not eligible for blepharoplasty surgery, this is a great option,” he said.
Further down the pipeline is Zian (Stowe Pharmaceuticals), an antimicrobial drop that can kill bacteria, funguses and viruses simultaneously within 15 seconds of hitting the ocular surface.
Similarly for ocular surface disease, he said that varenicline (Oyster Point), a nasal spray for treating dry eye disease by stimulating tear glands to increase aqueous production within minutes, may be FDA approved as early as the end of 2021. Wroten noted that this will enhance patient compliance as an alternative to eye drops.
“When it comes to drug delivery and compliance, we’re seeing companies like Eyenovia innovate and bring delivery devices that don’t overmedicate the ocular surface,” Wroten said. “It’s delivered in a novel way through a spray nozzle [with the Optejet dispenser] as opposed to an eye drop, so patients don’t have to tip their head back, they don’t have to look down, they can hold the device just like they’re taking a selfie with their phone.”
Wroten added that the medication is electronically charged so that it remains on the ocular surface longer.
He said that the industry will also soon see more advances in drug delivery, such as developments in port delivery systems for anti-VEGF medications, punctal plug delivery systems and drug-releasing contact lenses.
Finally, he addressed augmented reality and virtual reality visual field technologies, which increase portability, reduce price and free up space in a practice typically reserved for visual field testing equipment.
“So, whether it’s diagnosis, treatment or therapies, the future is extremely bright in eye care, and I can’t wait to get our hands on some of these new and emerging technologies,” he said.
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Wroten C. Future in focus: Emerging eye care treatments and technologies. Presented at: SECO; Atlanta, Georgia; April 28-May 2, 2021.
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