OSN round table, part 1: Treat dry eye before and after ocular surgery

Dry eye is a multifactorial progressive disease that worsens with time. At the European Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgeons meeting in Barcelona, Ocular Surgery News convened anterior segment surgeons from both sides of the Atlantic to address the challenges of diagnosing and treating ocular surface disease, particularly before and after ophthalmic procedures. In this first of two parts led by OSN Technology Section Editor William B. Trattler, MD, the round table participants compared the differences between what surgeons in the U.S. and those abroad are doing in their respective countries to diagnose and treat ocular surface disease preoperatively and to treat or prevent dry eye postoperatively. William B. Trattler, MD: One of the things I explain to my patients is that dry eye is a progressive disease. It gets worse over time. If we do not stop the disease where it is now, then a year later it will get worse and worse.