The Impact of Dry Eye on Vision-Related Quality of Life and Evidence-Based Treatment Options

Ophthalmology
Curriculum:
The Impact of Dry Eye on Vision-Related Quality of Life and Evidence-Based Treatment Options
Credits:
1 AMA PRA Category 1 Credit(s)
Launch Date:
April 17, 2014
Expiration Date:
The accreditation for this activity has expired.

Primary Audience:

Ophthalmologists

Relevant Terms:

Diabetes And Dry Eye, Dry Eye Disease, Glaucoma, Sjogren's Syndrome

Esen K. Akpek, MD (Course Director)

Esen K. Akpek, MD (Course Director)
Professor of Ophthalmology and Rheumatology
Director, Ocular Surface Disease and Dry Eye Clinic
Associate Director, Johns Hopkins Jerome L. Greene Sjögren's Syndrome Center
Director, Cornea and External Disease Fellowship
The Wilmer Eye Institute at Johns Hopkins
Baltimore, Maryland

Esen K. Akpek, MD, is a professor of ophthalmology at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine and has been on the surgical faculty of the Wilmer Eye Institute since 1999. She received her medical degree from Hacettepe University in Ankara, Turkey. Following her internship and residency training in Ankara, she completed subspecialty training in Ocular Immunology and Uveitis at the Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary, Harvard University Medical School. She then completed a surgical fellowship program in cornea, cataract, and external diseases at the Wilmer Eye Institute.

Dr Akpek is an internationally renowned leader in the field of corneal transplantation and serves as the medical director of the Eye Bank of Maryland, is a member of the National Medical and Scientific Advisory Board of Tissue Banks International, and is also the director of the fellowship program in cornea and external disease at Wilmer. She has published over 100 peer reviewed articles, many book chapters, and directed multiple online and in-person educational activities. She holds a patent in the field of keratoprosthesis devices, has been awarded the Cora Verhagen Immunology Prize, the American Academy of Ophthalmology Achievement Award, and other honors. She serves on the editorial board of 11 scientific journals, is a member of the Clinical Trials Consortium, Sjogren's Syndrome Foundation, and the Medical and Scientific Advisory Board of the Tear Film and Ocular Surface Society.

Dr Akpek specializes in the surgical treatment of corneal and ocular surface diseases and performs various types of donor and artificial corneal transplantation surgeries. She also specializes in difficult and challenging cataract surgeries and complicated cases of anterior segment reconstruction procedures. As director of the Ocular Surface Disease and Dry Eye Clinic, she treats patients with inflammatory eye disorders such as Sjogren's Syndrome, allergic and immunologic diseases of the cornea and the conjunctiva, scleritis, and uveitis.

​Anat Galor, MD, MSPH

Anat Galor, MD, MSPH
Assistant Professor of Clinical Ophthalmology
Bascom Palmer Eye Institute
University of Miami Miller School of Medicine
Miami VAMC
Miami, Florida

Anat Galor, MD, MSPH, is an Assistant Professor of Clinical Ophthalmology at the Bascom Palmer Eye Institute in Miami, Florida and a staff physician at the Bruce W. Carter Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center in Miami. She completed her medical degree at the Washington University School of Medicine in St Louis, Missouri and completed her ophthalmology residency at the Cleveland Clinic Cole Eye Institute where she was chief resident. This was followed by a uveitis fellowship at the Wilmer Eye Institute at John Hopkins University School of Medicine in Baltimore, Maryland and a cornea fellowship at Bascom Palmer Eye Institute in Miami.

She has made significant contributions to the body of literature and has authored and co-authored scholarly articles for Cornea, Ophthalmology, Current Ophthalmology Reports, and Investigative Ophthalmology & Visual Science among many others. Her research interests focus on understanding the pathophysiology and improving treatment outcomes of ocular surface conditions, including dry eye syndrome, ptergyium and conjunctival intraepithelial neoplasia. Her specialties include cataracts and intraocular lens, uveitis, and corneal and external diseases.

​Stephen C. Pflugfelder, MD

Stephen C. Pflugfelder, MD
Professor and Director of the Ocular Surface Center
James and Margaret Elkins Chair
Department of Ophthalmology
Baylor College of Medicine
Houston, Texas

Stephen C. Pflugfelder, MD, is a graduate of SUNY Upstate Medical University in Syracuse, New York. He completed his ophthalmology residency at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston, Texas, followed by a corneal fellowship at the Bascom Palmer Eye Institute at the University of Miami School of Medicine. He joined the faculty of Bascom Palmer Eye Institute in 1985 and became a professor in 1998. He returned to the Cullen Eye Institute at Baylor as a professor in 2000, and that same year received the American Academy of Ophthalmology Senior Achievement Award. In 2002, he also received the James and Margaret Elkins Chair in Ophthalmology and the Research to Prevent Blindness Senior Investigator Award.

Dr Pflugfelder has published over 150 research articles, book chapters, and monographs on disease and surgery of the cornea, including excimer laser vision correction surgery. He served on the editorial board of Cornea and American Journal of Ophthalmology journals, is the president of the International Ocular Surface Society, and is a former director of the Ocular Surface Center in Miami.

Dr Pflugfelder's research interests include mucosal inflammation, dry eye disease, and corneal epithelial stem cell biology. He maintains his clinical focus in dry eye and ocular surface disease, corneal epithelial stem cell transplantation, and corneal transplantation.
1. RECOGNIZE the importance of early DED screening and treatment as it relates to visual functioning, productivity, and patient quality-of-life.
2. IDENTIFY common symptoms of DED and comprehensive screening methods to diagnose DED.
3. ASSESS various treatment strategies for optimizing ocular comfort and satisfaction in diverse patients.
4. APPLY DED screening, diagnosis, and management plans in diverse patient cases.

Presented by the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine.
 
OVERVIEW
In the United States, dry eye disease (DED) is estimated to drastically affect the quality of life (QoL) for up to 20 million people. Symptoms of DED affect patients' productivity at work, leisure activities, social life, ability to drive safely, and overall visual function. Those who are most at risk for developing DED include patients who: have contact lenses, are older, are postmenopausal women, have diabetes and/or Sjögren's syndrome, who are taking medications known to cause drying, who have glaucoma, or have undergone cataract or postrefractive surgeries. Early diagnosis and treatment of patients with symptoms of DED have been shown to slow down, halt, or even reverse disease progression, leading to preservation or improvement in patients' QoL. These interactive case modules are designed to help ophthalmologists recognize early symptoms of DED and related conditions, including Meibomian gland dysfunction, Sjögren's syndrome, and DED related to diabetes. Furthermore, these case scenarios will help treating physicians understand the importance of early screening and how to effectively devise treatment plans in multiple patient types to restore ocular comfort.
 
GOAL
To provide ophthalmologists with up-to-date information on the treatment and management of patients with dry eye disease and related conditions.

CME INFORMATION
Accreditation Statement — The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine is accredited by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education to provide continuing medical education for physicians.
 
Credit Designation Statement — The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine designates this enduring material for a maximum of 1.0 AMA PRA Category 1 Credit(s)™. Physicians should claim only the credit commensurate with the extent of their participation in the activity.
 
After reviewing this online activity, participants may receive a certificate by receiving a score of 70% or higher on the CME test and completing an evaluation. A certificate of participation will be available online immediately following successful completion of the activity.
 
The estimated time to complete this activity: 60 minutes.

DISCLOSURE POLICIES
Full Disclosure Policy Affecting CME Activities
As a provider approved by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME), it is the policy of the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine Office of Continuing Medical Education (OCME) to require signed disclosure of the existence of financial relationships with industry from any individual in a position to control the content of a CME activity sponsored by OCME. Members of the Planning Committee are required to disclose all relationships regardless of their relevance to the content of the activity. Faculty are required to disclose only those relationships that are relevant to their specific presentation. The following relationships have been reported for this activity:
 
Participating Faculty Disclosures
Esen K. Akpek, MD, reports receiving grants/research support from Alcon, Inc, and Allergan, Inc; and reports serving as a consultant for Nicox.
 
Stephen C. Pflugfelder, MD, reports receiving grants/research support and serving as a consultant for Allergan, Inc, Bausch & Lomb Incorporated, and GlaxoSmithKline.
 
No other authors have indicated that they have any financial interests or relationships with a commercial entity whose products or services are relevant to the content of their presentation(s).
 
Planner Disclosures
Esen K. Akpek, MD, reports serving as a principal investigator for Alcon, Inc, and Allergan, Inc.
 
No other planners have indicated that they have any financial interests or relationships with a commercial entity.
 
Note: Grants to investigators at The Johns Hopkins University are negotiated and administered by the institution that receives the grants, typically through the Office of Research Administration. Individual investigators who participate in the sponsored project(s) are not directly compensated by the sponsor, but may receive salary or other support from the institution to support their effort on the project(s).
 
Off-Label Product Discussion
Dr Esen K Akpek—Cyclosporine ophthalmic and topical steroids (loteprednol ophthalmic).
Dr Anat Galor—Estrogen and topical dehydroepiandrosterone for the treatment of patients with dry eye syndrome.
 
No other faculty has indicated that he/she will reference unlabeled/unapproved uses of drugs or products.
 
DISCLAIMER
The opinions and recommendations expressed by faculty and other experts whose input is included in this activity are their own. This activity is produced for educational purposes only. Use of Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine name implies review of educational format, design, and approach. Please review the complete prescribing information of specific drugs or combinations of drugs, including indications, contraindications, warnings, and adverse effects before administering pharmacologic therapy to patients.
 
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I understand that while I am participating in this capacity, I may be exposed to "protected health information," as that term is defined and used in Johns Hopkins policies and in the federal HIPAA privacy regulations (the "Privacy Regulations"). Protected health information is information about a person's health or treatment that identifies the person. I also understand that while I am participating in this capacity I will be treated as a temporary member of Johns Hopkins for purposes of the Privacy Regulations only.
 
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 Reviewed & Approved by: General Counsel, Johns Hopkins Medicine (4/1/09)
 

COURSE VIEWING REQUIREMENTS
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ACTIVITY
Instructions
The following is a module containing 4 interactive cases designed to help you gauge your basic knowledge of the topic and then direct you to areas you may need to focus on. The activity consists of an unaccredited pre-test, 4 interactive case studies, a CME post-test, and activity evaluation. All sections must be completed to receive CME credit. A certificate of participation will be available online immediately following successful completion of the activity.
 
Pre-Test
 
The Impact of Dry Eye on Vision-Related Quality of Life and Evidence-Based Treatment Options
Anat Galor, MD, MSPH, and Stephen C. Pflugfelder, MD
 
Post-Test
 
Supported by an educational grant from Allergan, Inc.