PUBLICATION EXCLUSIVE: Treating ocular surface disease an involved but rewarding experience

The term ocular surface disease is a useful one to me and includes dry eye disease, ocular allergy and blepharitis/meibomian gland dysfunction. There is significant overlap in these diagnoses, and many patients suffer from more than one of them or even all three.Years ago, in the American Academy of Ophthalmology-commissioned RAND Study, it was estimated that 40% of a comprehensive ophthalmologist’s or optometrist’s daily office visits included dealing with one or another form of ocular surface disease. The overlap of these diagnoses is further illustrated by the finding of Michael Lemp, MD, that as many as 86% of patients with dry eye disease have an evaporative form associated with MGD. In addition, we clinicians are fully aware that while allergy causes ocular itching, so does dry eye and MGD. And while burning is usually associated with MGD, many patients with dry eye disease also report burning. The classical foreign body sensation associated with dry eye is also present in many patients with ocular allergy or MGD. The itchy, burny, gritty eye can be any of the three, two of the three or even all three.