Publication Exclusive: PROOF that symptoms matter

For more than 15 years, eye doctors who specialized in the treatment of dry eye have been like the “red-headed stepchild” of the eye care world, mumbling in the corner about the extent of the effects of dry eye on the ocular surface. The notion that dry eye of all sorts was a major contributor to vision problems was particularly heretical. The dry eye corner was a very lonely place for a very long time.What was once described as the “crabgrass of ophthalmology” is now the “hot dot” in eye care. I think what may have turned the tide was Bill Trattler’s study showing the effect of dry eye on corneal topography and post-cataract surgery visual acuity; a clear and significant improvement in postop vision was shown when preop dry eye was treated. Still, there was a lingering skepticism about dry eye and its effect on visual performance.