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E W CORNEA 9 3 for inflammatory markers, but when a patient presents with milder symp- t oms and osmolarity in tighter, normal ranges, Dr. Galor questions how aggressive her treatment would be based on "just a number." "One of our obstacles is that we have limited therapeutics to treat these patients," she said. "When you don't have many options, it doesn't really matter what the results are be- cause there's only so much we can d o for our patients." Correlating symptoms to signs What the newer tests can provide, however, is a means to track treat- ment efficacy in certain patients, Dr. Davidson said. "I'm not convinced we can correlate it with symptoms. Tracking tear osmolarity in one per- son does not mean we will be able to predict how symptomatic the person is based on the increase or decrease in the number. Technology makes our world better and I hope in the near future some of this new technology pertaining to dry eye will make its way into mainstream practice." Dr. Galor said the tests help to make the argument that a patient has a specific type of dry eye and that may help clinicians develop a different type of treatment regimen. "If patients come in and they're miserable on their current treat- ments, then it's clear they need to be on something else," she said. "At this point, these tests may be more helpful when we have some other agents to 'treat' dry eye with a different mechanism of action than what's currently in our armamentar- ium." Dr. Davidson would also like more targeted treatments. "I'd like to see us get to the point where we have certain biomarkers that we can measure and we can then predict and prognosticate based on those biomarkers," he said. "That way we can show patients how they've improved over the previous year." Both physicians agreed that treating dry eye is still an individual- ized process. The newer diagnostic tools are useful in quantifying some aspects of dry eye, but how useful t hey will be in everyday clinical practice remains to be seen. EW Editors' note: The physicians have no financial interests related to this article. Contact information Davidson: 720-848-2500, Richard.Davidson@ucdenver.edu G alor: 305-575-7000, AGalor@med.miami.edu March 2014 1 DRY EYE SOLUTION * Physician Recommended Nutriceuticals® Now Available as Dry Eye Omega Benefits ® or Omega Essentials High Potency I Liquid Dry Eye Omega Benefits ® and Omega Essentials High Potency Liquid are custom formulated with a high concentration of the anti-inflammatory Omega-3, EPA (eicosapentaenoic acid) in its natural triglyceride form, combined with Vitamin D3 for additional comprehensive health benefits. This product offers an effective, safe, and natural way to address dry eye symptoms systemically rather than topically.PRN products are only available with a physician's recommendation. * This statement has not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease www.prnomegahealth.com Dry Eye Patients, I High Potency vs. PRN Omega Essentials Liquid Basic One teaspoon of the High Potency Liquid equivalent to 4 softgels of PRN Dry Eye Omega BenefitT¥ 502 West Germantown Pike, Ste 610 Plymouth Meeting, PA 19462 1-800-900-2303 MILLIONS of n R a ci si y h P This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease This statement has not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. * d Nu e nd mme o c e n R This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease This statement has not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. s® l a c i t u e c i r t d Nu This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease This statement has not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. s® 88-107 Cornea_EW March 2014-DL2_Layout 1 3/6/14 3:47 PM Page 93