TearLab Corporation

Contact Lens Induced Dry Eye

Despite the continued trend toward an annual growth in new fits/refits of contact lenses and increased office visits for all ophthalmologists, optometrists, and optometric retailers, the rate of lens wearers that discontinue lens wear has curtailed overall growth of the lens industry. In 2005, while there were approximately 4 million new fits or first time lens wearers, this increase was offset by a significant number of people who reverted to frames or opted for refractive surgery.

The primary drivers of these dropouts are difficulties associated with visual acuity and also discomfort caused by symptoms associated with contact lens-induced dry eye (CLIDE). CLIDE is prevalent in over 50% of soft contact lens wearers and 80% of GP lens wearers. Considering that the fitting and dispensing of contact lens wear contributes significantly to a physician's profit, optometrists have the economic incentive to manage CLIDE in order to retain wearers.

TearLab™ will enable the eye care practitioner to identify those patients that are at risk of dropping out of contact lenses earlier in disease (CLIDE) progression. Upon commencement of treatment, TearLab will allow objective tracking of drug efficacy and patient outcomes. As a consequence, the integration of TearLab into clinical routine could serve to improve fitting and dispensing of lenses and mitigate the risk of lens intolerance caused by CLIDE. Furthermore, as contact lens manufacturers develop novel lens materials and coatings in hopes of addressing the various causes of CLIDE, there is a need to evaluate efficacy of these novel lens products in a clinical setting.