TFOS MGD REPORT EVENT OF THE YEAR IN CONTACT LENS SPECTRUM

The TFOS International Report on Meibomian Gland Dysfunction, published as a special IOVS issue last March, was just named the Event of the Year 2011 by the Contact Lens Spectrum

TFOS BLOG

A little bit of TFOS history -- when we first launched our website in January 2002 we were a little too tech-savvy for our own good.  We had a blog.  We had a blog when most TFOS Members still thought "cookies & spam" were food rather than Internet-speak.  We deactivated our blog and simplified the website.

As we've grown during the last 10 years, we know that TFOS Members are ahead of the curve, well, the ophthalmic (industry) curve.  We've brought back the blog.  And, as always, comments are welcome!  We've also enhanced our site with Twitter & RSS feeds, so you can keep up to date regularly with our progress!  

Our old newsletter will be catalogued on the virtual bookshelf and replaced by our Blog.  Please subscribe to our RSS Feed so we know that you're out there!   

Thanks for your ongoing support and participation!

Amy Gallant Sullivan
On Twitter: http://twitter.com/TearFilmSociety

read our new blog!

MGD REDEFINED: INTERNATIONAL WORKSHOP ON MEIBOMIAN GLAND DYSFUNCTION REPORT AVAILABLE

BOSTON, MA, March 31, 2011- The Tear Film & Ocular Surface Society (TFOS) reported the conclusions and recommendations of the International Workshop on Meibomian Gland Dysfunction (MGD).

The MGD Workshop, sponsored by TFOS, was conducted to provide an evidence-based evaluation of meibomian gland structure and function in health and disease. MGD is an extremely important condition, conceivably underestimated, and very likely the most frequent cause of dry eye disease. The Report required over 2 years to complete and involved the efforts of more than 50 leading clinical and basic research experts from around the world.

“This report will have a significant impact on the diagnosis and treatment of lid disease and evaporative dry eye. It is intended to be a stimulus for future MGD research that will benefit the clinical care of patients around the world for years to come,” said Dr. Kelly Nichols, OD, MPH, PhD, Associate Professor, Ohio State University and Chair of the MGD Workshop Steering Committee.

“MGD may well be the leading cause of dry eye disease throughout the world. Although this condition influences the health and well being of millions of people, there has not previously been a global consensus on the definition, classification, diagnosis or therapy of MGD,” explained Dr. David A. Sullivan, PhD, TFOS President, Senior Scientist, Schepens Eye Research Institute/Harvard Medical School and Organizer of the MGD Workshop. “To achieve such a consensus, TFOS, a non-profit organization, launched this international workshop.”

“This TFOS Workshop developed a contemporary understanding of the definition and classification of MGD,” noted Dr. Gary N. Foulks, MD, FACS, Professor, University of Louisville and Vice-Chair of the MGD Workshop Steering Committee. “Furthermore, we developed recommendations for the diagnosis, evaluation and grading of severity of MGD, the management and therapy of this disease, as well as norms of clinical trial design to evaluate pharmaceutical interventions for MGD treatment.”

"Workshop members used an evidence-based approach and a transparent review process in order to achieve a global consensus and the highest level of report credibility. While commercial products are discussed in the report, no individual product is endorsed," said Dr. Nichols. “Moreover, all Workshop members were required to provide financial disclosure in accordance with TFOS and ARVO guidelines.”

The MGD Report was just published by the Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology (ARVO; (www.arvo.org) in a special issue of Investigative Ophthalmology & Visual Science (IOVS) and made available to scientists and clinicians worldwide. A downloadable version of the document may be obtained through a link on the TFOS website (www.TearFilm.org) to the IOVS publication. Complete or partial translations of the report will be offered in numerous languages, including English, Dutch, French, German, Greek, Italian, Japanese, Polish, Portuguese, Spanish, Turkish and Russian.

Interviews can be scheduled by emailing Amy Gallant Sullivan.

	Report Overview		Link to full Report (IOVS)		MGD Report presentation slides
	Press Release		In the press
Translations of the MGD Report (more coming soon):
	German sponsored by		Portuguese sponsored by		Chinese sponsored by
	Spanish sponsored by		Japanese sponsored by
	The MGD Report is available for free on the Appstore: and for Android devices:

TFOS Dinner @ ARVO

Tear Film & Ocular Surface Society Annual Dinner and Travel Awards Presentations at ARVO

Monday, May 2, 2011 7:30 - 10:00 PM

Grille 66 at Hyatt Regency Pier 66 2301 SE 17th St., Ft. Lauderdale
walking distance from Convention Center

TICKETS SOLD OUT!

The 6th International Conference on the Tear Film & Ocular Surface: Basic Science & Clinical Relevance

International Conference

This Conference is designed to:

Assess critically the current knowledge and 'state of the art' research on the structure and function of tear film-producing tissues, tears and the ocular surface in both health and disease

Promote an international exchange of information that will be of value to basic scientists involved in eye research, to clinicians in the eye care community, and to pharmaceutical companies with an interest in the treatment of tear film or ocular surface disorders

Firenze Fiera , Florence, Italy, 22-25 September 2010

> Abstract Book, Highlights & Historical Perspective