Cynthia Matossian, MD, FACS, a specialist in refractive cataract surgery and dry eye disease, and founder of Matossian Eye Associates, an affiliate of Prism Vision Group, currently serves as chairperson of Alpharetta, Ga.-based Bruder Healthcare’s medical advisory board. Bruder, a division of Hilco Vision, manufactures moist heat eye compresses and provides safe, effective therapeutic products to medical professionals and consumers.

Dr. Matossian is also the CMO of Somerville, Mass.-based ophthalmic pharmaceutical company Glint Pharmaceuticals and serves as CEO of GPOphtho.

Ophthalmology Management: Can you discuss your role as chairperson of Bruder Healthcare’s medical advisory board and how you got started in this role?

Dr. Cynthia Matossian: Refractive cataract surgery and dry eye are my two areas of passion within ophthalmology. Many years ago, I was determined to locate the booth of Bruder at an ophthalmology meeting because I had been getting amazing feedback from my dry eye patients for whom I had recommended the Bruder heated moisture mask. I had written an article that was published in Ophthalmology Management about the benefits of the heated mask and the favorable responses I had received from my patients. At the booth, I met Mary Bruder, manager, accounting, risk management, who, coincidentally, had a printed copy of my article in her hand with the intent to share my observations with other eye-care providers. We had a great conversation in which I mentioned to Mary that I not only recommend the Bruder mask to my patients with meibomian gland dysfunction but also inventoried the product for purchase at our check-out station.

This was just the beginning of what’s become a very meaningful partnership with Bruder. Shortly after our initial meeting, I was invited to chair the Bruder medical advisory board. We were a natural fit from the very start due to my firm belief in the importance of lid hygiene and ocular wellness.

OM: Why did you move in this direction with your career and how?

CM: I truly love the field of ophthalmology. I feel immensely fortunate that I have been able to restore vision and improve the quality of life for many patients suffering from poor eyesight and/or dry eye. After 35 years of building a multi-specialty, integrated ophthalmology/optometry practice from scratch in two states — Pennsylvania and New Jersey — with three locations, it was time for me to sell Matossian Eye Associates to a PE-backed business entity (an analogy would be going from start-up to IPO). With the business transition in mind, I slowly pivoted from my role as CEO, owner and managing partner to one of consulting with different pharma and medical device companies. The transition has been fabulous; I feel invigorated with this new chapter in my life.

Working at the decision-making level with pharma companies provides me with an opportunity to influence across a wider field. It’s a great feeling, especially when I believe that my work, based on years of direct patient care, may, in turn, help eye physicians take even better care of their patients.

As an ophthalmologist who started her practice in an era when it was rare to be a woman surgeon, let alone a woman business owner, I have learned an immense amount along the way. It is this hybrid background in both direct patient care and practice ownership that helps me provide a perspective to the various leadership teams with whom I am very fortunate to work currently.

OM: Can you discuss how Bruder collaborates with ophthalmologists to help meet the needs of patients?

CM: Bruder is a patient-centric company focused on innovation and safety, even though its products are non-prescription. Collaboration with ophthalmologists and listening to their recommendations is how Bruder continues to improve its products to better meet the needs of patients.

A perfect example is the development of the Sx Pre-Surgical Patient Prep Kit. Bruder was the first company to put lid wipes, hypochlorous acid spray and a moist heat compress together in one convenient kit for patients in preparation for their cataract surgery. The decision to launch this product was a direct result of Bruder’s willingness to listen to what the eye surgeons had identified as an unmet need by their patients. There’s no question that the ocular surface needs to be optimized before cataract surgery; however, many surgeons have struggled to incorporate this crucial step into their patients’ journey since it was too time consuming and challenging for patients to purchase the various components individually from their home pharmacies or from online options.

To help better understand what patients are looking for and what barriers doctors encounter in the recommendation process, Bruder helped support an independent research initiative. The analysis from the respondents revealed that patients might have fewer gaps in care and might be less afraid of cataract surgery if they had greater participation in the process. To that end, the Sx Pre-Surgical Patient Prep Kit could have both clinical as well as psychological benefits that could translate into higher patient satisfaction. One of the most interesting findings from this research is that 83% of cataract surgery candidates said they would use a Sx Pre-Surgical Patient Prep Kit if they were asked to buy one.

With that in mind, Bruder is continuing to support additional research on effective patient education surrounding pre-surgical ocular surface prep. This demonstrates Bruder’s commitment to our profession, which is a big part of why I enjoy working with them. OM