Bill Harvey: Tears are falling

Ten years ago, I was asked by Alcon to chair a round table. The aim was to gather a range of health professionals and industry experts together in order to hear their views and experiences with dry eye disease and its management. What was notable was the surprise among the ophthalmologists, GPs and pharmacists present when the optometrists (Caroline Christie, James Wolffsohn, even me) started discussing different types of dry eye disease and individual management plans. The GPs and pharmacists, in particular, were not only unaware of the various tests we use but didn’t know that there was anything to be done other than giving drops. ‘I just give everyone hypromellose,’ said one GP.