ASCRS Live: Preservative Freedom aims for preservative-free drops for all patients

Lisa Nijm, MD, discussed Preservative Freedom, a coalition that has been put together by Thea to help bring attention and bring awareness to creating preservative-free drops for all patients at the 2023 ASCRS annual meeting in San Diego.

Video transcript

Editor’s note: Transcript lightly edited for clarity.

Lisa Nijm, MD:

Hi, this is Dr. Lisa Nijm from Warrenville Eyecare & LASIK and the University of Illinois Eye and Ear Infirmary. I'm going to talk to you today about a campaign that I'm really proud to be a part [of]. It's called Preservative Freedom. This is a coalition that has been put together by Thea to help bring attention and bring awareness to creating preservative-free drops for all patients.

As a corneal surgeon and an ocular surface specialist, I see the havoc that preservatives can wreak on the ocular surface, especially patients who suffer from dry eye. I wrote an international review 2 years ago that highlighted worldwide that 40% to 60% of glaucoma patients have ocular surface disease [OSD]. We're actually making these patients worse with continued drops...continued preservatives from glaucoma drops...that while they are controlling the pressure, unfortunately, the preservatives oftentimes are making their OSD worse.

I think it's something that's really important. I think it's something important to make this accessible for patients and affordable. It's something that will take all of us working together as surgeons, as industry, and as relevant organizations to come together and put the patients first and identify what we can do to make things more preservative free. It's a privilege to be part of this campaign and I invite you all to join us. Thank you.