“WE’RE IN THE golden age of dry eye treatment,” says Dr. Milton Hom. Research comprises a key part of his practice and he conducts clinical studies for drugs that are in the pipeline. A whole host of new treatments and drugs will be coming out to treat dry eye symptoms, some of which are in different phases of approval right now. Eventually, he says the number of drugs on the market will triple. Currently, only three prescription eye drops are approved for long-term use: Restasis, Xiidra and Cequa from Sun Pharma. There is one off label drug, a steroid called Lotemax, that though not an FDA indicated option, Dr. Hom estimates about 70 percent of specialists use to treat dry eye.
Johnson & Johnson Vision Care
The LipiFlow Thermal Pulsation System heats and massages away obstructions caused by MGD.
(800) 843-2020, jjvision.com
Novartis
Xiidra prescription eye drop
(862) 778-8300, xiidra.com
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Vital Tears
Autologous serum eye drop custom-made for each patient.
(800) 360-9592, vitaltears.org
Sun Pharma
CEQUA is the first dry eye treatment to combine cyclosporine with NCELL technology.
(609) 720-9200, sunpharma.com
Lacrivera
The Vera180 Synthetic Absorbable Lacrimal Plugs can treat post-surgical dry eye and dry eye components of ocular surface diseases, including contact lens intolerance.
(855) 857-0518, lacrivera.com
Allergan
Refresh Relievaline and Restasis.
(844) 469-8327, refreshbrand.com
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MiBo Medical Group
The MiBoThermoflo melts solidified oil that has become stuck inside the meibomian glands.
(855) 642-6356, mibomedicalgroup.com
Oasis Medical
The Oasis LID & LASH eyelid and lash hydrating and paraben-free lid cleansers for daily use.
(844) 820-8940, oasismedical.com
Bausch + Lomb
The Soothe line of products.
(800) 828-9030, bausch.com
Smart Ways to Sell Dry Eye Treatments
Dr. Milton Hom, Canyon City Eyecare, Azusa, CA
Dry eye treatment falls into two categories: anti-inflammatory treatments and mechanical therapy treatments. My philosophy is to use both; in conjunction with a mechanical therapy treatment I’ll often prescribe Restasis too. The two together are highly complementary and can increase the effectiveness of the treatment. We give patients a questionnaire asking how often they experience dryness with five choices: none, seldom, sometimes, frequently and always. Once established, we’ll suggest they come back for a dry eye workup, which generally can be billed under medical insurance. During this workup, we’ll determine the cause and discuss treatments.
Dr. Whitney Hauser, Director of Clinical Affairs Keplr Vision, Bloomington, IL
The treatments doctors generally use are the tools they have available in their offices. If they use them with vigor, then they will outgrow them and can invest in more advanced treatments to broaden patient offerings. It’s great we have so many options available but sometimes they can muddy the water for some practitioners. Education of doctors and patients may lag the number of products so it can be hard for doctors to implement them all. I believe the dry eye treatment that is the most successful is the one the doctor believes in and can advocate for. The therapies doctors drive are the ones patients accept. So, doctors need to pair certain therapies with their patients and only choose treatments that have an evidence-based foundation.