I. Incidence of Dry Eye Syndrome (DES) in the general population
II. Why should Optometrists be concerned about DES?
a. Frequent complaintb. Contact lens relatedc. Computer vision syndromed. Increase practice revenue
III. Causes of DES
a. Computer Vision Syndromeb. Environmentc. Aged. Contact Lensese. Medications- systemic and ocularf. Chronic diseases
IV. Clinical Causes of DES
a. Tear deficiencyb. Evaporating dry eyec. Non-wetting dry eye
V. Tear anatomy and physiology
a. Lipid layerb. Aqueous layerc. Mucin layer
VI. Tear break up time and blink rate
a. Maintain integrity of tear filmb. Decreased blink rate
VII. Traditional DES therapy
a. Artificial tearsb. Punctual plugs
VIII. New developments in treatment
a. Anti-evaporativesb. Seretagoguesc. Micromimeticsd. Anti-inflammatorye. Polymersf. Orals
IX. Future Vision- What Will Work?
a. What works best for the patientb. What works best for the doctor