EyeCon 2025: Expanding options for ocular surface disease with Joseph Allen, OD, FAAO, Dipl ABO

For Joseph Allen, OD, FAAO, Dipl ABO, the Ophthalmology Times and Optometry Times EyeCon 2025 conference, September 26 and 27, at the Margaritaville Hollywood Beach Resort in Hollywood, Florida, was an opportunity to engage with colleagues across disciplines and explore emerging strategies in eye care. He noted that the event highlighted the importance of collaboration between optometrists and ophthalmologists to optimize patient outcomes.

“I’ve been part of the Education Committee here for EyeCon this year, and it’s been fantastic to work with other doctors to try and establish…what is the best education, who are going to be great speakers that are going to deliver value in topics that are really pertinent to both optometry and ophthalmology working together for our patient care,” said Allen.

Allen jointly led a session on anterior segment dry eye with cornea specialist Rahul Tonk, MD. The discussion addressed complex cases, including corneal ectasia, and new strategies for management.

“One of the newer treatments that have become available in the last few years, that I have been adopting and utilizing more often, is perfluorohexyloctane,” Allen said. He explained that this therapy has been useful for patients with a range of conditions, from mild dry eye to more advanced stages involving meibomian gland loss or exposure issues. “Those patients, I find, are finding not only improvements in their own dry eye symptoms, but I’m seeing improvements on the ocular surface when I see them for follow-ups.”

Beyond pharmaceutical treatments, Allen emphasized the value of therapeutic interventions that may be underused. “A therapy for ocular surface disease, I think is quite underutilized is the use of amniotic membrane therapy.” He acknowledged that this approach has often been reserved for extreme cases, but in his practice earlier intervention has shown benefits. “Intervening earlier on with those types of therapies, I’m finding basically a better resolution, not only of the ocular signs, but we see faster resolution with the additional treatments that we’re often prescribing.”

Allen described the clinical markers he relies on to detect ocular surface disease in patients who may not report obvious symptoms. “Oftentimes clinical signs that I detect for patients who usually report fine…they’re not necessarily recognizing that their symptoms are due to dry eye, but usually I see evidence of inflammation, redness, telangiectasia, issues on the eyelids and the eyelid margin.” He uses both fluorescein and lissamine green stains, noting that the latter is especially useful to assess the conjunctiva and detect lid wiper epitheliopathy.

His learning at EyeCon extended beyond anterior segment disease. Sessions on corneal surgical management and intraocular lenses introduced him to new procedures and technologies. “There are some procedures and even IOLs that I didn’t fully understand or know that we’re either out now or coming out, and so learning those…nuances of how I can better assess my patients and doing a handoff to the corneal specialist when the patient really needs that extra care, I think that’s a big takeaway for myself.”

The conference also reinforced the broader trend of closer integration between optometry and ophthalmology. Allen highlighted the mutual benefits of collaboration: “The profession of both optometry and ophthalmology…we’ve been coming together, I think, over the last several years, more so than ever, and I think it’s very clear…that we need to be working together as a team for the best interest of our patients because we both have our strengths, our weaknesses, and we cover the whole gamut just by working together.”