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Eyes On Dry Eye, held February 24-25, 2023, was pleased to choose Sjögren’s Foundation as the charity of choice for the event. With over 6,000 attendees, Sjögren's Foundation President and CEO, Janet E. Church, was excited to speak during the event and highlighted how important it is for ocular providers to understand hat they are key in diagnosing and supporting patients.  

The Sjögren’s Foundation was also spotlighted in the Virtual Conference Bag and attendees were invited to click a button for which Eyes On Dry Eye would donate $1 in their name. At the end of the event, Eyes On Dry Eye donated $1,100 to Sjögren’s Foundation on behalf of the event attendees.

Currently, about four million Americans live with Sjögren’s, which is a systemic autoimmune disease that affects the entire body. A main symptom of Sjögren’s is dry eye disease as Sjögren’s attacks exocrine glands of mucous membranes.

“It’s a privilege to partner with an organization like Sjögren’s Foundation,” said Matt Geller, OD, co-founder and CEO, Eyes On Eyecare. “It’s our hope that the knowledge and insight born of a collaborative industry event like Eyes On Dry Eye can help patients who need it most.”

The autoimmune response in Sjögren’s occurs from mononuclear infiltration of the salivary and lacrimal glands, leading to complaints of dry mouth and dry eyes. Sometimes, a dry eye disease diagnosis will precede other, systemic symptoms of Sjögren’s by years. As a result, optometrists may be some of the first healthcare providers to identify the possibility of the condition.

“We appreciate the generosity of the eyecare community to build awareness of Sjögren's,” said Janet Church, President & CEO of the Sjögren's Foundation. “We are in lockstep with optometrists and ophthalmologists when it comes to providing relief from dry eye symptoms—and there’s no better event to share knowledge about dry eye disease than Eyes On Dry Eye.”

About Eyes On Eyecare

Based in San Diego, California, Eyes On Eyecare delivers leading-edge clinical and career education to the next generation of optometrists and ophthalmologists through premier editorial content, agency work, and virtual event symposia including Eyes On Myopia, Eyes On Glaucoma, Eyes On Retina, and more. Eyes On Eyecare will celebrate its 10th anniversary in 2023 with more than 75 years of clinical experience supported by ophthalmic key opinion leaders.