The World Council of Optometry (WCO) and Alcon dry eye initiative’s free digital learning tools for eye care providers are now available in 10 different languages. Both the WCO Alcon Dry Eye Wheel and the Dry Eye Management Map are now available in English, French, Spanish, Arabic, Chinese, Hungarian, Dutch, Bahasa, Ukrainian and Czech.
The WCO Alcon Dry Eye Wheel is an interactive platform that helps Eye Care Professionals (ECPs) worldwide support patients with dry eye using the three steps of mitigation, measurement and management. It was updated earlier this year with the latest recommendations from the recently published Tear Film & Ocular Surface Society Dry Eye Workshop III (TFOS DEWS III) report.
The Dry Eye Management Map was built to complement the wheel and is an online interactive tool designed to assist ECPs, educators and students navigating dry eye disease management using evidence-based research. While these tools support clinical decision-making, the optometrist retains full medical judgment and remains the ultimate decision-maker in determining the appropriate course of care.
Global Impact and Expert Leadership
“The WCO and Alcon dry eye initiative is a global program, and we’re committed to spreading awareness of dry eye and the resources available for diagnosis and treatment,” said Cindy Tromans, BSc (Hons), PhD, FEAOO, president of WCO. “We’re grateful for the WCO volunteers who spent their time and energy translating these tools into a variety of languages so that more ECPs can easily access and use them.”
“As digital devices become an increasingly constant part of daily life, people may blink less frequently and incompletely, disrupting the tear film and contributing to dry eye symptoms,” said Carla Mack, OD, MBA, FAAO, FBCLA, Global Head of Professional Education and Development at Alcon. “With dry eye on the rise worldwide, equipping Eye Care Professionals with practical, evidence-based resources in more languages is critical to helping them recognize the signs, guide patients, and provide individualized care based on their professional expertise and clinical judgment.”
A chronic, sometimes painful condition, dry eye disease impacts the lives of those who suffer from it and its symptoms. The disease is an epidemic and reports of it are on the rise, corresponding with factors such as increasing use of technology, environmental triggers and an aging population.1 Nearly 1.6 billion people around the world suffer from dry eye disease every day. 2
To learn more about the WCO and Alcon dry eye initiative, visit dryeye.worldcouncilofoptometry.info.
1 MarketScope (2020) 2020 Dry Eye Products Market Report. A Global Analysis for 2019 to 2025. October 2020.
2 Stapleton F, Alves M, Bunya VY, Jalbert I, Lekhanont K et al. (2017) TFOS DEWS II Epidemiology Report. Ocul Surf 15 (3): 334-365.
