RX Perspective
Patient-Friendly Relief
The latest dry eye drop from Novartis provides comfort and healing in an easy-to-use package.
By Lisa R. Battat, M.D.

As a corneal and LASIK surgeon, I see patients with dry eyes all the time. For the majority of these patients, I recommend artificial tears. However, I have three concerns: First, I don't want the drops to aggravate an already compromised ocular surface. Second, I want the chemical composition of the artificial tears to be as close as possible to natural tears. Third, I want the drops to be user-friendly -- both in terms of price and ease of dispensing -- so the patient won't be deterred from using them.

Novartis recently introduced a new member of the GenTeal product line: GenTeal PF (preservative free). I've been recommending this new drop to my dry eye patients for the past few months, and I've found that it does a great job of meeting my three concerns.

Because I don't want to compromise an already damaged ocular surface, I try to avoid prescribing tears with preservatives, which can add to the toxicity of the cornea. The absence of a preservative is especially important following LASIK, or when patients use tears frequently.

GenTeal isn't the only preservative-free drop on the market. How-ever, GenTeal PF contains ions that mimic the chemistry of natural tears, including sodium chloride, potassium, magnesium, calcium and zinc. Not only are these ions found in natural tears, they help support the ocular surface by contributing to the growth and maintenance of goblet cells that produce mucin, as well as epithelium and tear film. Most important, the zinc ions in GenTeal PF are essential for normal cellular growth and development.

For this reason, I believe the chemistry of this drop does a particularly good job of aiding the recovery process. My patients with severe dry eye have displayed notable healing of the ocular surface, both clinically and symptomatically.

Furthermore, the chemistry of GenTeal PF speaks to my second concern: Thanks to the zinc ions and the absence of preservatives, GenTeal PF is much closer to natural tears.

Relief Without a Struggle

Unfortunately, once you've found a good product, getting patients to use it isn't always easy. And if patients don't use a product, it certainly won't do them any good.

Some patients express a strong preference for the convenience of a bottle rather than individual containers. Often, however, the real problem is that the packaging of some single-use drops makes them difficult to dispense. If patients have to fight to get drops out of the container, they may not bother until the irritation becomes severe.

Many single-use products are made with a hard plastic that requires a fair amount of strength to squeeze. Elderly patients who have arthritis often don't use these drops because they're painful to dispense. (Even I have trouble squeezing some of them!)

In contrast, the GenTeal PF packaging is very user-friendly. The individual units are easy to hold and open. The part you squeeze is almost triangular, which is comfortable to hold. The plastic is soft, so the drops are easy to dispense.

The current price is also patient-friendly; boxes of GenTeal PF now include 20% more product for the regular price, which makes them less expensive than most competitors.

A Choice that Works

I also recommend this product to my contact lens-wearing patients instead of a rewetting drop. It's contact lens compatible, and, of course, it's preservative free.

The bottom line? My patients like this drop, they use it, and they report -- and I see -- visible signs of healing. Many of my patients prefer GenTeal PF over drops they've tried in the past. For my practice, it's a winning alternative.

Dr. Battat is director of cornea and refractive surgery at the Everett-Hurite Ophthalmic Association in Pittsburgh, Pa.