Sources of Information

The information on this website is compiled from a variety of credible sources, available online at little or no cost. It was reviewed by medical experts. Sources of information are usually cited, unless the source is based on our own experience, e.g.: patient symptoms or personal experience.

Tear Film and Ocular Surface Society

With the support of industry sponsors, the Tear Film and Ocular Surface Society published reports in 2007, 2011, and 2017. The reports contain a wealth of information about Dry Eye Syndrome and meibomian gland dysfunction (MGD). The reports’ goals were broad-reaching and comprehensive. However, there was considerable disagreement among contributors, as noted in the introduction to the meibomian gland reports.

Keep in mind that research and understanding of the disease has progressed since the reports were released.

The 2007 Report of the International Dry Eye WorkShop (DEWS) represents the work of many contributors who, over a long period of time, collected data, presented summary reports, deliberated, and came to consensus to produce the report.

The International Workshop on Meibomian Gland Dysfunction published nine reports in 2011 on subjects ranging from pathophysiology, epidemiology, diagnosis, treatment, and clinical trials.

As of January 2018, the 2017 Report of the International Dry Eye WorkShop (TFOS DEWSII) is not widely cited on this website. This is because we have found the papers to contain biases and some of the committee members to have financial interests which may have influenced their hypotheses, research, findings, opinions, and/or recommendations. In the future, as we comb through the papers we may reference information of interest to Dry Eye patients.

Medscape

Information about Dry Eye is available at Medscape.com. Medscape provides news and, like PubMed.gov, access to articles from scholarly journals.

National Institute of Health

The National Institute of Health’s description of Dry Eye Syndrome covers basic aspects of the disease, symptoms, and treatment options. However, in our opinion, the NIH oversimplifies the condition and understates the causes, potential complications, and co-morbidities.

PubMed

Thousands of articles from scholarly journals are available at PubMed.gov, the searchable database that includes peer reviewed health-related publications from around the world, and is compiled by the US National Library of Medicine at the National Institutes of Health. Most abstracts are available in English and many articles are available at no cost.

UpToDate

Another good source of information on Dry Eye is UpToDate.com. Keep in mind that the information is peer reviewed and generally current, but may not provide sufficient information on newer available treatments that have proven to be highly effective in the treatment of Dry Eye Syndrome and related diseases. In depth information is available at a nominal price for a short-term subscription.

WebMD

Information about Dry Eye is available at WebMD.com. WebMD information is generally reliable. However, less information is available for severe cases of the disease, co-morbidities, and complications.

Patient Experiences

The information on this website is unique because it represents a newer understanding of the disease and, because it is presented from the patient’s perspective. This is why our list of symptoms, for example, is much longer than the list of symptoms typically discussed. Some of these were our own symptoms. We are very familiar with them and know that symptoms can go well beyond the typical “gritty,” “burning,” or “foreign body sensation;” and that treatment also needs to go well beyond the typical warm compresses, lubricating drops, and lid wipes.

Other Sources and Citations

Sources of information throughout the website are cited ensuring that the information presented is credible.