Eye care professionals play a pivotal role in preserving and enhancing their patients’ visual and ocular well-being. Despite the profound value patients attribute to their eyesight, there is a perplexing gap between this acknowledgment and their adherence to eye care health routines.
Understanding the Challenge: Bridging the Knowledge Gap
The paramount importance of vision in patients’ lives underscores the significance of imparting comprehensive eye care knowledge to them. However, a lack of awareness and understanding of proper eye care routines often hinders patients from actively participating in their ocular health. As a trusted source of information for patients, eye care professionals possess a unique opportunity to bridge this knowledge gap by helping to educate on the simple steps necessary to maintain healthy eyes. Getting patients on the path to better eye health is the way forward, even if their track record is sub-par or takes time to get established.
Step 1: Establish a Hygiene Routine
Emphasizing the significance of proper eyelid hygiene and offering practical solutions can lead to meaningful improvements in eye health. Research1 demonstrates that lid hygiene prevents worsening of blepharitis. Recommending Bruder Eyelid Cleansing Wipes, which feature a leave-on, no-rinse formula, helps patients to easily remove excessive oils and debris from their eyelids and lashes. These hypoallergenic wipes, designed for gentle daily use, provide a valuable addition to any eye care regimen.
For patients grappling with Demodex, Bruder Eyelid Cleansing Wipes infused with tea tree oil offer a personalized option to effectively address mite overpopulation concerns.
Following the cleansing process, instruct patients to apply hypochlorous acid. Research2 shows how instrumental this is in reducing the bacterial load on the eyelids and easing inflammation. The Bruder Hygienic Eyelid Solution Spray is a 0.02% pure hypochlorous acid solution. Notably, it is free of alcohol, oil, sulfates, parabens, or added fragrance or preservatives, making it suitable for patients with heightened ocular sensitivities.
Step 2: Integrate Heat Therapy
Heat therapy has long-proven benefits in enhancing tear film stability, but not all compresses are created equal. Encouraging patients to adopt the Bruder Moist Heat Eye Compress, featuring patented MediBeads technology, offers a superior solution for liquifying meibomian gland oil with consistent, controlled moist heat lasting eight to twelve minutes. Unlike conventional compresses with less effective materials and uneven heat distribution, the Bruder Moist Heat Eye Compress ensures a hygienic and uniform heating experience. In a randomized controlled trial, researchers found that the Bruder Moist Heat Compress resulted in a significant improvement in comfortable contact lens wear time in subjects with contact lens-related dry eye.3
The incorporation of silver-infused MediBeads in the compress further fortifies its antimicrobial properties, minimizing the risk of bacteria. By advocating the adoption of this uncomplicated yet powerful step, practitioners can significantly impact patients’ ocular health.
Step 3: Emphasize Hydration
Adequate hydration plays a critical role in maintaining optimal ocular health, particularly in dry eye patients. Indeed, researchers have demonstrated that whole-body hydration can play a meaningful role in dry eye.4 Unfortunately, many patients do not meet recommended water intake levels, which can exacerbate signs and symptoms. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), only 22 percent of adults report drinking 8 cups or more of water a day.5 Dry Eye Drink by Bruder can help patients overcome their water intake deficiencies.
Developed by optometrists and ophthalmologists, the Dry Eye Drink’s formulation incorporates anti-inflammatory ingredients, vitamins, and electrolytes, offering comprehensive nourishment for both ocular and bodily health. By tackling the underlying causes of dry eye disease, this hydration drink supports ocular health without introducing excessive sugar or unhealthy sodium levels.
Green Tea Extract: improves ocular surface inflammation, tear break up time scores, meibum/oil levels.
Taurine: helps through osmoregulatory action.
Turmeric: inhibits the proinflammatory cytokines that cause inflammation of the cornea and conjunctiva.
DHA (algae): reduces dry eye related inflammation.
Vitamin A: improves quality of tear film and mucous membranes.
Vitamin C: repairs tissue and improves cellular function and immunity.
Vitamins B3, B6, B12: nourishes and repairs the corneal nerve layer.
Communication Tips
Effective communication doesn’t need to be time consuming or overly descriptive. You can encourage patients to embrace eye care daily routines by using analogies that resonate with patients’ existing self-care practices. Encouraging patients to view eye care as they do dental care (with brushing and flossing) or skin care (with facial cleansing and moisturizing). This fosters patient engagement and cultivates a sense of responsibility towards their ocular health, while conveying necessity and simplicity.
Eye care professionals contribute significantly to their patients’ quality of life by encouraging improved ocular well-being habits. The key is to convey simplicity and common-sense behaviors. Will patients follow each and every one of your recommendations all the time, every time? Probably not. But that never stopped dentists from reminding patients to floss and it shouldn’t discourage eye care providers from emphasizing the foundational steps of hygiene, heat therapy and hydration.
Some of the time beats none of the time.
Use Analogies
Encourage patients to view eye care as they do dental care (with brushing and flossing) or skin care (with facial cleansing and moisturizing).
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