Treatment Strategies for Dry Eye Disease: What the Pharmacist Needs to Know

Program Description
Dry eye disease (DED) can occur when a person does not have enough tears to lubricate the eye. Patients may experience inflammatory “flares” or painful exacerbations of DED triggered by an activity or the environment. Symptoms of DED can often be incongruent, and pharmacists should be aware of this and the various etiologies that may lead to DED to avoid misdiagnosis or treatment failure. There is no permanent cure for DED; current treatment involves managing symptoms, relieving pain associated with flares, and preventing ocular damage. Current management includes nonpharmacologic options, over-the-counter eye drops, and prescription medications, such as topical corticosteroids, cyclosporine A, and LFA-1 antagonists, to address symptoms such as hyperemia and ocular discomfort. Guidelines have established a stepwise treatment approach that combines short-term and maintenance therapy and pharmacists should be familiar with these steps to escalate DED treatment when necessary and prevent complications and adverse effects. Pharmacists can help patients with DED through early diagnosis and ensuring proper medication use to prevent disease progression.

Target Audience: Pharmacists

Type of Activity: Application
Release date: September 30, 2021
Expiration date: October 17, 2022

Time to complete activity: 2.0 hours
Fee: Free

Educational Objectives

At the completion of this activity, participants will be able to:

• Explore the patient- and population-level disease burden associated with dry eye disease (DED)
• Examine the 2017 executive summary and recommendations to guide the diagnosis and treatment of DED
• Identify new agents that address unmet needs in DED care, including those that treat dry eye flares
• Employ medication management and effective patient monitoring and counseling to improve the outcomes for patients with DED and those who experience dry eye flares