Thermamedx and Eyecare Partners offer EverTears treatment for dry eyes in 80 markets in the United States

ThermaMEDx today announced a partnership with EyeCare Partners to expand the distribution of EverTears across the national clinically integrated eye care provider’s network.

According to a press release from the companies, the move comes after strong clinical results and positive patient feedback during a five-month commercial trial of EverTears in the St. Louis market. Clarkson Eyecare is one of the key groups in the extensive EyeCare Partners network of nearly 700 affiliated practices in 18 states across the United States.

Tens of millions of Americans suffer from dry eye, a rapidly growing modern medical problem due in large part to increased overall adult screen time, decreased eye blinking and eye strain. digital.

Michel Guillon, PhD, co-founder of Atlanta-based ThermaMEDx, noted in the statement that for decades the eye care industry believed that dry eye symptoms were caused by poor tear production, but industry leaders now know this is incorrect for most patients.

“The problem lies with the meibomian glands, the oil-producing glands in your eyelids,” Guillon said in the press release. It occurs when the Meibomian glands of the eyelids become clogged due to factors such as aging, use of contact lenses, use of makeup, excessive screen time, hormonal changes, and other factors. of risk.

The companies noted that while most over-the-counter eye drops or “artificial tears” focus on temporary relief, EverTears is designed to provide immediate symptom relief while working to help address the root cause of most eye drops. dry eyes: meibomian gland dysfunction (MGD). A medical team of eye health experts led by London-based Guillon spent decades researching better treatment and filed a first patent in 2002 to protect their invention of the first self-heating, pre-moistened medical device designed specifically for eye care, including dry eyes. to MGD, styes and blepharitis.

Two years ago, Guillon teamed up with two American entrepreneurs, former Alcon executive Ben Nobles and former Coca-Cola and Starbucks executive Carl Sweat, to found ThermaMEDx. With the addition of renowned American clinician Gregg Ossip, OD, the team successfully commercialized Guillon’s vision of a clinically proven home treatment for dry eye combining a precise instant heating compress and a pre-moistened cleansing pad and launched EverTears.

Upon learning of the new technology, Brian Lojka, OD, Medical Lead for the Optometry Division at EyeCare Partners, recognized the potential for improved care: “We were intrigued by the EverTears® technology and wanted assess its effectiveness and impact on improving compliance and outcomes with our own patients After five months, the positive feedback from our patients and physicians was overwhelming and showed us that EverTears® can to be an effective tool for the treatment of dry eye patients across our network.

Alana Keller, OD, Lojka’s colleague at Clarkson Eyecare, echoed her sentiment.

“As physicians, we have known for years that the best treatment for MGD-related dry eyes is precise heat and daily eyelid hygiene,” she said in the press release. “The reason EverTears has been such an effective treatment for several hundred of my patients since we started testing in January is that it is so simple and convenient to use. We recommend it to all of our patients in part of establishing a daily eye hygiene routine.

Family-owned ThermaMEDx plans to create additional national partnerships to provide relief to the millions of people suffering from MGD-related dry eye.

“We at ThermaMEDx are thrilled that EverTears® has been so successful with patients, not only in clinical studies, but also at a leading national eye care provider like EyeCare Partners,” said Ossip, partner of ThermaMEDx and former CEO of Ossip Optometry & Ophthalmology. in the press release.