PRESS RELEASE
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
July 24, 2019
Tear Film & Ocular Surface Society
Amy Gallant Sullivan
amy@tearfilm.org
@Eyeppl
(Boston, MA) Today, in recognition of Dry Eye Awareness Month, TFOS announced the availability of the patient-focused Executive Summary of the TFOS DEWS II Report. Creation of this document was prompted by the recognition that it is very important for patients to have access to, and to be able to rely on, accurate, relevant and comprehensive information about dry eye disease.
”TFOS has created a credible, clear and usable Summary of the TFOS DEWS II report for patients,” explained Dr. David A. Sullivan, Schepens Eye Research Institute/Harvard Medical School, and TFOS Founder. ”This Summary is written in lay language and contains new figures related to the classification and pathophysiology of dry eye disease. In the near future we also hope to make this patient-focused Executive Summary available in Wikipedia.”
The following individuals helped create this patient-focused document: Etty Bitton, OD (Canada), Stephen Cohen, OD (USA), Jennifer P Craig, MCOptom, PhD (New Zealand), Arthur Epstein, OD (USA), Preeya K Gupta, MD (USA), Katherine M Hammitt, MA (USA), Lyndon Jones, FCOptom, PhD (Canada), Allison Porreco Levesque (USA), Cecilia Marini, MD (Argentina), J Daniel Nelson, MD (USA), Leslie ODell, OD (USA), Colin Parsloe, MD (UK), Christina Perry (USA), Joanne Shen, MD (USA), Fiona J Stapleton, MCOptom, PhD (Australia), Christopher Starr, MD (USA), Leejee H Suh, MD (USA), Amy Gallant Sullivan (USA), David A Sullivan, PhD (USA), Mark DP Willcox, PhD, DSc (Australia) and James Wolffsohn, FCOptom PhD (UK).
The goal of the TFOS DEWS II initiative, which took over 2 years and involved 150 experts, was to achieve a global consensus concerning multiple aspects of dry eye disease. More specifically, TFOS DEWS II sought to update the definition and classification of this disease; evaluate critically the epidemiology, pathophysiology, mechanism, and impact of this disorder; develop recommendations for the diagnosis, management and therapy of this disease; and recommend the design of clinical trials to assess future interventions for dry eye disease treatment. The TFOS DEWS II initiative was very important, because dry eye disease is a global problem, afflicting hundreds of millions people around the world, and is one of the most frequent causes of patient visits to eye care practitioners.
TFOS published the TFOS DEWS II Report in The Ocular Surface journal in July 2017. Since then, TFOS has organized events and seminars around the world to increase awareness about the conclusions and recommendations of TFOS DEWS II. The patient version of the TFOS DEWS II Executive Summary is available in the patient section of the TFOS website: https://bit.ly/2MbHHrk
TFOS again thanks the following industry partners who supported TFOS DEWS II with unrestricted donations, including: Alcon, Novartis Pharmaceuticals Corporation, Shire, Allergan, Bausch+Lomb, Akorn, CooperVision, Dompé, Horus Pharma, Lµbris Biopharma, Oculeve, TearLab, Laboratoires Théa, SIFI, Johnson & Johnson Vision, Quint Health, Scope Ophthalmics, Sun Pharma, Carl Zeiss Meditec, Inc. ZEISS Group, and Senju.
About TFOS
Founded in 2000, the Tear Film & Ocular Surface Society is a world leader in eye health education headquartered in Boston. A 501(c)3 non-profit foundation, TFOS is dedicated to advancing the research, literacy, and educational aspects of the scientific field of the eyes surface. More information about TFOS and the TFOS DEWS II Report, visit www.tearfilm.org.
