Management and Monitoring Strategies in Dry Eye Disease

In this segment, the expert panel discusses the complexities of managing dry eye disease as a chronic, often lifelong condition. The faculty emphasize the importance of setting clear, realistic expectations from the outset, explaining to patients that treatment needs will change over time as environmental factors, hormonal shifts, medications, and lifestyle behaviors evolve. The panel highlights the value of empowering patients through modifiable strategies—such as humidifier use, optimizing sleep environments, incorporating warm compresses, and maintaining consistent lid hygiene. They note that patients frequently underestimate how cosmetics, eyelash extensions, eyelid procedures, or even common over-the-counter medications can exacerbate symptoms. By educating patients on these triggers and validating their experiences, clinicians can help them feel more in control of their disease. The panel also stresses collaboration, personalization, and continual reevaluation of therapy, recognizing that effective chronic disease management requires both medical intervention and meaningful patient partnership.