Issue 3 - July 2026
Canadian OD Survey: Dry Eye Care Needs a Routine Patients Can Actually Follow
Dry eye patients often leave the clinic with the right recommendations.
Artificial tears. Warm compresses. Lid hygiene. Omega-3 support. Sometimes prescription therapy.
The issue is not that ODs are missing the pieces. A recent Labtician survey of 140 Canadian ODs in Ontario, British Columbia, and Manitoba showed that these core recommendations are already part of routine dry eye care.
The harder part is what happens after the visit.
Patients go home with multiple steps, different products, and uneven understanding of why each one matters. That is where adherence often breaks down.
This becomes even more important when meibomian gland dysfunction is part of the picture. In the survey, ODs reported seeing signs of MGD in their dry eye patients. For these patients, lubrication alone may not address the full need. The routine also needs to support meibomian gland function, eyelid health, and tear film stability.
That does not mean the conversation needs to become more complicated. It means the plan needs to become clearer.
A practical MGD-related dry eye routine should help patients understand four things:
- What each step is doing
- When to use each product
- How long to continue
- Why consistency matters
When the following steps are presented as a connected routine, patients are more likely to see the logic. They are also more likely to follow through.
- Warm compress therapy supports meibomian gland function.
- Tear support helps lubricate and stabilize the ocular surface.
- Omega-3 reduces the inflammation and supports lasting relief.
Dry eye can be complex. The patient plan should not feel that way.
The survey findings point to a simple opportunity for clinics: keep the clinical thinking comprehensive, but make the patient routine easier to start, easier to explain, and easier to maintain.
When MGD is common, the care plan should reflect it. And when adherence is the barrier, clarity becomes part of the treatment strategy.
Explore how the LabESSENTIALS Dry Eye kit can help simplify dry eye care.
As a trusted parter let us know who you would like to see featured in The Spotlight, and what topics you would like to see covered in a future issue of Sightline. (Digitalmarketing@labtician.com)
