Opinion
Video
Navigating Unmet Needs in Dry Eye Disease Therapies
Richard Adler, MD, FACS, Assistant Professor of Ophthalmology at the Wilmer Eye Institute, Johns Hopkins Institute, and Director of Ophthalmology Services at Belcara Health, discusses the critical unmet needs in Dry Eye Disease (DED) therapies and explores the potential impact of new agents in addressing these challenges.
This is a video synopsis/summary of a Post Conference Perspectives involving Richard Adler, MD.
There are many unmet needs in the treatment of dry eye disease (DED). Of the approximately 38 million Americans suffering from DED, only 17 million have received a diagnosis and just 1.1 million have been prescribed treatment. This compares to 4 million annual cataract surgeries and 3 million annual glaucoma diagnoses nationally. Successful dry eye treatments should aim to harmonize the frequently discordant signs and symptoms, address underlying inflammation and tear production issues, and improve patient quality of life. From a drug development perspective, ideal treatments would demonstrate rapid onset and durable symptom relief with improved delivery, bioavailability, and tolerability. Cyclosporine ophthalmic emulsion 0.05% (Restasis) was approved in 2002 but still has shortcomings after 20 years on the market, notably its poor water solubility given the aqueous environment of tears, leading to suboptimal drug delivery and tissue penetration. Innovations addressing these limitations by enhancing cyclosporine delivery and bioavailability remain unmet needs.
Video synopsis is AI-generated and reviewed by AJMC® editorial staff.
