Practical tips and tricks: Dry eye treatment advice for peers

Dry eye management often requires more than selecting the right therapy—it depends on creating treatment plans patients can understand, commit to, and maintain over time. With an expanding range of diagnostic tools and therapeutic options available, clinicians are increasingly balancing personalized care with practical considerations such as cost, lifestyle, and patient expectations. In this Q&A, Jessilin Quint, OD, MBA, MS, FAAO, shares strategies for improving adherence, building trust through patient communication, avoiding common treatment pitfalls, and leveraging staff support to create a more effective, team-based approach to dry eye care.

Transcript

Edited lightly for clarity and length.

Jordana Joy: How do you build a treatment plan for dry eye that patients will realistically follow?

Jessilin Quint, OD, MBA, MS, FAAO: I build treatment plans that patients will realistically follow by meeting them where they are and tailoring the approach to both their clinical needs and personal circumstances. I start by understanding their symptoms, daily routine, goals, and any barriers like time or budget. The beauty of the many dry eye innovations available today is that we have different tools to address different underlying etiologies, so I can customize the plan accordingly. I often layer treatments in a stepwise approach rather than introducing everything at once and rely on my staff to reinforce instructions and answer questions. For many patients this makes the plan feel manageable, increases buy-in, and ultimately leads to better adherence and outcomes. However, If a patient wants to be aggressive and pursue the best possible outcome quickly, we lead with a “everything at once” approach. For other patients that might be more budget-conscious, we can still achieve great results, it may just take more time to see improvement.

Joy: What language or analogies have you found most effective in building trust quickly?

Quint: I focus on building trust by clearly explaining the “why” behind my recommendations. I start by listening to what the patient is struggling with and what their goals are for their dry eye treatment. Then I connect the dots for them and demonstrate how their specific symptoms relate to the underlying issue and why the treatments I’m recommending will directly improve those concerns or help them achieve their goals. By personalizing the explanation and keeping the language simple and relevant to their daily experience, patients feel heard, understand the purpose behind the plan, and are much more confident moving forward.

Joy: What’s a mistake you see clinicians commonly make when managing dry eye?

Quint: A common mistake clinicians make when managing dry eye is treating it as a one-size-fits-all condition rather than identifying the underlying etiologies. Many rely too heavily on artificial tears alone, without assessing factors like meibomian gland dysfunction, inflammation, tear meniscus height, blink dynamics, or tear film instability. This often leads to temporary symptom relief without addressing the root cause. A more effective approach involves a targeted, multifaceted treatment plan based on proper diagnosis, patient education, and ongoing management rather than quick, symptomatic fixes.

Joy: What role does staff play at your affiliated practice in patient education and workup for dry eye?

Quint: Staff play a vital role in both the workup and ongoing management of dry eye by helping create a consistent, team-based patient experience. During the workup, they collect detailed symptom history, administer questionnaires, and perform key diagnostic testing such as osmolarity or meibography. Just as importantly, I rely heavily on my staff to reinforce the treatment plan I’ve recommended such as reviewing at-home therapies, explaining in-office procedures, and answering common patient questions. This added layer of education helps ensure patients truly understand their condition, feel supported, and are more likely to follow through with treatment, ultimately leading to better outcomes.