about
who we are
The Dry Eye Foundation is a small 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization based in Poulsbo, Washington.
board of directors
Rebecca Petris (president)
Cynthia Edwards, R.N, M.S.N. (Vice President)
Amanda Mott (treasurer)
monique fox (secretary)
SANDRA BROWN, M.D. (MEMBER AT LARGE)
Gloria chiu, OD, FAAO, FSLS (Member at large)
executive directors
Rebecca petris (co-Founder)
Aidan moore (co-founder)
mission
Our mission is to improve quality of life for people suffering from dry eye disease.
annual report
Click here to read our 2022 Annual Report.
programs
Community services
Our community service programs include a Dry Eye Helpline peer counseling service, Zoom support groups, moderated Facebook groups, a forum, and dryeyestories.com.
Since 2018, we’ve made over 1,000 Helpline calls to over 365 individuals.
We’ve held over 250 Zoom support groups since 2020
Our Facebook groups have nearly 15,000 members, combined
EDUCATION, ADVOCACY & RESEARCH
Eye Drop Safety has become our most important education program due to escalating safety issues in the global supply of over-the-counter eye drops.
Highlights of other DEF programs include:
Dry Eye Zone, where Dr. Brown recently began a new blog;
Dry Eye Happy Hour, our patient-centered webinar series;
My Big Fat Scleral Lens, a scleral lens education center; and
Dry Eye Disease and Me, a community survey published at mydryeyedata.org.
the community we serve
According to the most frequently quoted epidemiological study, there are approximately 30 million people in the US suffering from dry eye. But these numbers are for “dry eye” in the broadest possible sense.
Much of the Foundation’s work caters for the needs of a subset of the 30 million: people experiencing severe symptoms that are significantly affecting their quality of life. Some of us have what a doctor would describe as “severe dry eye”, others moderate or mild. Some have no actual “dryness” but have other ocular surface disease problems or neuropathic pain.
Amongst ourselves, we don’t call it “dry eye”, by the way. It’s Ocular Surface Disease (OSD) and Ocular Surface Pain (OSP).
Here are just a few examples of reasons someone might find themselves part of our community:
Severe ocular effects of rare or uncommon systemic diseases, such as Stevens Johnson Syndrome, Graft v Host Disease, Sjogrens Syndrome.
Drug side effects. According to research, 22 of the top 100 best-selling systemic drugs in the US may cause dry eye.
Medically necessary surgery that affects the eyes directly or indirectly, such as cataract surgery, ptosis surgery, dacryocystorhinostomy (DCR), or acoustic neuroma removal.
Elective vision surgeries such as LASIK, PRK or SMILE, or cosmetic eyelid procedures.
Temporary or permanent damage to facial nerves resulting in incomplete eyelid closure.
Diseases of the oil glands in the eyelids.
Neuropathy: nerves that chronically misfire.
Completely unknown reasons. You’re fine, and then overnight, you’re just not. Some people never learn why this happened to them.
history and milestones
Explore our Milestones!
The Dry Eye Foundation was established in 2018. Its history dates back to 2005 with the formation of Dry Eye Zone by Founder Rebecca Petris, who began engaging in education and advocacy for people suffering from dry eye disease after an unfortunate outcome from LASIK eye surgery in 2001.
Incorporating as a nonprofit was a natural response to seeing an escalation of unmet needs in our community.