Dry Eye patients often have very different experiences with the care they receive. Some feel supported and receive excellent care, while others struggle to find doctors who understand their symptoms or can offer meaningful relief.
Recruiting Dry Eye patients for a pilot research study
These differences can shape how patients view their doctors, how they decide to seek care, or even how they use social media for information or support.
We are currently recruiting participants for a small pilot phase of a research study at the University of Central Florida to better understand these Dry Eye patients’ experiences. The study explores how Dry Eye patients view their doctors and whether social media use plays a role in shaping those views.
Who Can Participate
Adults aged 18 or older
Fluent in English
Living with Dry Eye, MGD, or a related condition
About the Survey
Confidential, online questionnaire
Takes under 15 minutes
No compensation
Participation is completely voluntary
If you’d like to share your experiences by contributing to this research,click here to take the survey or use this QR code:
For further information, you may contact the researcher, Natalia Warren, at nataliawarren@ucf.edu. She is a PhD student at the University of Central Florida as well as the chair of the Not A Dry Eye Foundation.
The Not A Dry Eye Foundation is proud to announce the launch of the Dry Eye Patient Council—the first of its kind. This groundbreaking initiative brings together patients and caregivers trained in Dry Eye disease and research methodology prepared to collaborate directly with investigators on study design, implementation, analysis, and reporting.
For years, those living with dry eye have felt unheard, while clinicians faced vague diagnostic criteria and limited treatment success. The Dry Eye Patient Council aims to close that gap by integrating the lived patient experience into scientific inquiry. These patient partners are not just passive subjects—they are co-creators, helping shape the studies that seek to improve patient care.
A New Era in Dry Eye Research
This shift marks a new era in research: one where empowered participation replaces token consultation. By embedding patient voices throughout the research process, the Council will strive to ensure that studies reflect real-world challenges and priorities—not just research endpoints.
The Council also embodies the Foundation’s original mission: to offer knowledge, support, and hope to those suffering from Dry Eye and related conditions. It’s a model for how collaboration between patients and researchers can lead to more meaningful, equitable, and effective outcomes.
As the initiative moves forward, the Council will continue to guide its direction, ensuring that findings are not only scientifically rigorous but also deeply relevant to those most affected.
Reshaping the Research Landscape
This is just the beginning. The Dry Eye Patient Council will share updates, reflections, and resources as the work unfolds—offering a window into what patient-led research truly looks like. By elevating the patient’s lived experience, we’re not only improving care—we’re reshaping the research landscape for dry eye and beyond.
Whether you are an investigator, a doctor, a patient, or a caregiver, if you would like to learn more about the Dry Eye Patient Council, write to us at contact@notadryeye.org
The Dry Eye Quality of Life Survey is still open, and your input is incredibly valuable. This research study from the University of New South Wales aims to understand how Dry Eye and related conditions affect daily life. If you’ve already participated—thank you. If not, this is a gentle reminder to take part and help shape a tool that could improve care for patients like you.
This survey builds on real patient experiences. It captures how these conditions affect daily life—physically, emotionally, and socially. Your input will help create a tool that improves clinical care, guides future research, and strengthens patient advocacy.
Is This Study Right for You?
You’re welcome to participate if you:
Are 18 years or older
Have been diagnosed with one or more of the following:
Dry Eye disease, Meibomian gland dysfunction, contact lens discomfort, blepharitis, neuropathic corneal pain, thyroid eye disease, or Sjögren’s syndrome
Can read and understand English
What to Expect
The survey is divided into sections so you can take breaks and return later
You can save your progress at any time
Even partial responses make a difference
You’ll answer questions about how your symptoms affect your quality of life
Your feedback will help researchers build a tool that reflects what patients truly experience
Whether you’ve already participated or are just now considering it, thank you for helping shape the future of Dry Eye care. Every response brings us closer to better understanding and better treatment.
If you have any questions or need further information, please don’t hesitate to contact the researcher, Pawan Baral, at pawan.baral@unsw.edu.au
Researchers at the University of New South Wales in Sydney, Australia are developing a new questionnaire for diseases that affect the surface of the eye such as Dry Eye disease, Meibomian gland dysfunction, contact lens associated discomfort, blepharitis, neuropathic corneal pain, limbal stem cell deficiency, and Sjögren syndrome.
If you are someone living with one of these conditions, you may be eligible to participate in this research study that focuses on understanding patients’ experiences and measuring the impact of symptoms on their lives.
Would the study be a good fit for you? The answer is Yes if you…
Are 18 years of age or above
Have been diagnosed with one or more of the following ocular surface diseases: Dry Eye disease, meibomian gland dysfunction, contact lens associated discomfort, blepharitis, neuropathic corneal pain, thyroid eye disease, and Sjögren’s syndrome
Can read and understand English
How will you participate in the research study?
You will fill in an online survey at your convenience
You will be asked how your eye condition impacts your quality-of-life
To learn more about this research study and how to participate click here
We’re excited to announce a new series of LIVE Q&A sessions with renowned expert Dr. Steven L. Maskin! These sessions are designed to answer the most pressing questions from the Dry Eye community, offering insights and support for patients and doctors alike.
Following the overwhelming success of the first Q&A, Dr. Maskin is bringing these sessions back to connect with a global audience.
📅 When: Tuesday, April 22, 2025, at 6:00 PM EST
📍 Where: Zoom (link provided after registration)
How to Participate:
Register for the event at this link and submit your question in advance. Registered participants will receive a Zoom invitation on the day of the event.
Don’t miss this opportunity to engage directly with Dr. Maskin. Gain valuable knowledge about Dry Eye and Meibomian Gland Dysfunction (MGD). Spread the word and join an informative and interactive session!
Steven L. Maskin, M.D. is an ophthalmologist who specializes in solving difficult Dry Eye, MGD, and ocular surface disorders. He is the director of the Dry Eye and Cornea Treatment Center in Tampa, Florida and founder of MGDinnovations, a bio-tech company focused on Meibomian Gland Dysfunction.
The temperature’s dropping, and it’s time to cozy up with a warm cup of tea and a thrilling medical mystery. Imagine a case so perplexing, even Sherlock Holmes, Inspector Clouseau, and Kojak would be scratching their heads. Enter: the dry eye mystery that baffles the brightest minds.
But fear not, there IS one doctor-detective who cracked the case—and just in time.
A Doctor Who Solves Dry Eye Like a Pro
Unlock the mystery of Dry Eye
Your Dry Eye Mystery Solved is not just a book, it’s an adventure filled with suspense, danger, and life-saving discoveries. Thousands of dry eye sufferers were stuck in a cycle of hopelessness until one doctor had an “AHA!” moment that changed everything.
While most “specialists” simply prescribe drops, warm compresses, and gadgets, none of these get to the root of the problem. But our doctor-detective saw the desperation in his patients’ eyes. He couldn’t sit back and watch them suffer any longer.
The Breakthrough Moment
After years of relentless research, one patient’s long-suffering led to a life-changing discovery. This breakthrough has transformed how we understand and treat Meibomian Gland Dysfunction (MGD). And who’s the genius behind it all?
Cue the drumroll… it’s Dr. Steven Maskin, ophthalmologist extraordinaire. And guess what? He solved the mystery that affects up to 90% of dry eye sufferers!
The Culprit Behind Dry Eye: MGD
What’s the big reveal? Brace yourself—it’s called periductal fibrosis. That’s the root cause of MGD, and Dr. Maskin’s discovery has been a game changer for those who once thought relief was impossible.
Want to Know the Treatment?
Dr. Maskin invented and patented a revolutionary treatment for MGD. The catch? We’re not revealing it here! Like any good mystery writer, we’ll leave you with some tantalizing clues. If you can’t wait to find out, go ahead and dive into Your Dry Eye Mystery Solved. Skip straight to Chapters 7 and 8 for the full scoop.
Get the Book – And a Special Offer!
Don’t miss out on this limited-time offer! Until November 9th, 2024, you can grab the audiobook at a whopping 60% off. Ready to solve the mystery?
Shelley Hussey single- handedly holds up the Louvre in Paris, France 202?
It was the end of 2022, the most hopeful time of the year–the Christmas season. Like most everyone, I anticipated the new year with hope. Hope for happiness, good health, change for the better, finally winning at Rummy 500 against my darling husband. But I sensed that I was going to come up dry on all four of my hopes. To borrow from Twas the Night Before Christmas, “When what to my wondering eyes did appear, but severe pain and dryness. I had hardly a tear!”
True Grit
I’d been living my life fully and, happily, minding my own business when, as the world celebrated the end of the old year and the beginning of 2023, I was bombarded with practically overnight sensations of sandpaper imbedded in my eyes. I’m guessing 36 grit! (Little did I know that I’d need a lot of grit, as well as determination, faith, a sense of humor, and yes, hope, to overcome this dilemma.)
Excelling at Lying
My former extremely mild Dry Eye symptoms transformed into a Dry Eye lifestyle of lying in bed with a cold, wet washcloth over my eyes for several hours a day. It was the only way I could achieve relief. I was severely fatigued, and my eyes were so uncomfortable that I was unable to read one page in a book, get on the computer for a minute, watch any TV, or even travel to visit friends and family. Except in one case. (I attended a reunion of friends I had planned though warned my hosts I would be horizontal most of the visit.) But the good news in all this was that I listened to every free legal thriller on Audible and can now wholeheartedly recommend anything by John Grisham or Michael Stagg.
Doctors No, No, and No
During the ten months of practically living as an agoraphobic with severe dry eyes, I visited three ophthalmologists. One even claimed to be a “Dry Eye specialist.” (I’ll call him Dr. #3. It turns out he devoted all of one whole day a week to seeing patients. Some specialist!) Their prescribed treatments were:
Dr. #2) Put in his own plug for punctal plugs, but Dr. #3 quickly put down the plugs. (“Only effective 10% of the time,” he said.)
Dr. #3) Prescribed RESTASIS three times a day (helped some), and on the next visit suggested Lipiflow (made things worse). He then suggested amniotic membranes. There was a pregnant pause before I realized he wasn’t going to explain what amniotic membranes had to do with Dry Eye, and I was too fatigued to ask.
“If I Only Had a Brain…”
Unfortunately, my normally inquisitive mind was losing its’ battery power regarding all things medical. I was too overwhelmed, too tired, and in too much pain to self-advocate. I went back home to the bedroom and my two Dry Eye besties: 1) Cold, wet washcloth and 2), Audible novel.
Hope Sneaks In
But then, hope sneaked into the bedroom wearing size 11 1/2 sneakers belonging to my husband. Just by watching me suffer he had been suffering too but doing research online. “I think I found someone who can help you,” he cried out.
The conjunctivochalasis surgery was scheduled for the left upper eyelid a week later, and the right upper eyelid one week after that. (I now know what “amniotic membranes” are!) Dr. Maskin un-masked all my Dry Eye mysteries. The relief post-surgeries and Meibomian gland probing– a month later– was astounding and life-changing. Actually, life restoring!
Got Hope?
I am forever grateful for Dr. Maskin’s compassion, expertise, and knowledge-sharing. Not only did he fulfill my hopes for comfortable eyes, he also understands and believes in hope’s intrinsic value. This most important, uplifting, and life-giving word is in Dr. Maskin’s and Natalia Warren’s book title. Your Dry Eye Mystery Solved: Reversing Dysfunction, Restoring Hope. It’s also listed in the text as the number one guideline for managing Dry Eye: “Don’t give up hope!” To that I say, “Amen!”
Shelley Hussey is a humor writer and speaker, and author of I’m Not OK, You’re Not OK, But That’s OK with God: Finding the Humor and Healing in Life. She recently joined the Not A Dry Eye Foundation Board of Directors.
Shelley Hussey joins Not A Dry Eye Foundation Board
Shelley Hussey went to sleep on December 31st, 2022, with mildly dry eyes. But woke up on January 1st, 2023 to a Not-So-Happy-New-Year. Symptoms of extreme fatigue, grittiness, burning, itching, and severely Dry Eyes were suddenly excruciating. She tried self-treating with OTC preservative-filled eye drops (not knowing the dangers inherent in eye drops containing preservatives) and stayed in bed much of the day with her eyes closed. Although Shelley’s quality of life had rapidly diminished, she received little help from several ophthalmologists in her area.
“Best Dry Eye doctors near you”
After one of the doctors treated Shelley with Lipiflow, plummeting her into even worse misery, her husband researched “best Dry Eye doctors near you” and found Dr. Steven Maskin. Dr. Maskin diagnosed conjunctivochalasis, Meibomian gland dysfunction, nocturnal lagophthalmos, and ocular allergies. Within one week, Dr. Maskin performed the first of three amniotic membrane transplant surgeries to remove and replace damaged conjunctival tissue. After the surgeries, her comfort level pre-Dry Dye was finally restored—a feat she once thought would never be possible. Then, one month later, Dr. Maskin performed Meibomian gland probing to also restore the health of her glands.
Shelley joined the Not A Dry Eye Foundation board in 2024 to bring more awareness to Dry Eye Syndrome. She champions compassionately assisting Dry Eye sufferers and leads the Foundation’s patient advocacy program.
Shelley attended the University of Guam and holds a B.A. in communication/Radio-TV from Cleveland State University. She is a former disk jockey and owned a graphic design company in Atlanta for three decades. Using her pseudonym “Fru-Gal” she promoted a thrifty lifestyle, appearing on numerous TV talk shows, including The Phil Donahue Show.
Besides advocating for others suffering with Dry Eye, she is passionate about writing and speaking on motivational and inspirational topics (employing a humorous slant), walking many miles a day, and lastly, playing 500 Rummy with her husband, whom she hopes to beat . . . one day.
She is the author of I’m Not OK, You’re Not OK, But That’s OK with God: Finding the Humor and Healing in Life.
Shelley lives in Lakewood Ranch, Florida with her husband.
DRY EYE DISEASE and MEIBOMIAN GLAND DYSFUNCTION ISSUES
WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 23, 2023 7PM to 8PM EASTERN
SUBMIT YOUR QUESTIONS AND REGISTER
FOR THIS ZOOM EVENT AT
https://www.eventcreate.com/e/drmaskin
Steven L. Maskin, M.D. is an ophthalmologist who specializes in solving difficult Dry Eye, MGD, and ocular surface disorders. He is the director of the Dry Eye and Cornea Treatment Center in Tampa, Florida and founder of MGDinnovations, a bio-tech company focused on Meibomian Gland Dysfunction.
Not A Dry Eye Foundation has created a GoFundMe project to benefit a European medical school graduate named Agnieszka. We need your help to make the project a success.
Agnieszka is a 25-year-old who attended a top medical university in Poland with tuition paid for by the Polish government. She graduated as a Doctor of Medicine in May 2023 despite unrelenting Dry Eye disease. Agnieszka must now begin 13-months of on-the-job training in a clinic hospital to continue on this rigorous career path.
For her, the challenge, though welcome, is also daunting. Because of severe eye pain, constant burning, grittiness, and foreign body sensations in her eyes, sensitivity to light, and dry eyes, she wonders how she will endure for 13-months let alone embark on her career. Nevertheless, she hopes to become an ophthalmologist so she can one day help people like herself suffering with debilitating eye pain caused by Dry Eye, Meibomian gland dysfunction (MGD), and other comorbidities. But to get Agnieszka to that goal, we need your help.
Agnieszka has already travelled all over Europe seeking care from some 20 ophthalmologists. She’s been diagnosed with aqueous tear deficiency and MGD. She’s been prescribed many treatments. But her doctors could not improve her condition or provide lasting relief for her symptoms.
That’s why we think it’s time to bring Agnieszka to the United States to see Dr. Steven L. Maskin, so she can be examined thoroughly, diagnosed accurately, and prescribed targeted treatments that make sense for her. Dr. Maskin is a world-class ophthalmologist who treats the most difficult cases of Dry Eye and MGD following protocols that he has perfected in over 30 years of practice.
You can go now to our GoFundMe site to see Agnieszka’s video and listen to her describe her situation in her own words and why she is so desperate to travel to Tampa, Florida.
Feel free to share this blog and GoFundMe link with friends, family and on social media. That would be wonderful. If your financial position allows you to donate, so much the better. Please do what you can to help Agnieszka receive the care she desperately needs.
research process, the Council will strive to ensure that studies reflect real-world challenges and priorities—not just research endpoints.
