Dry Eye in DC
2026
On July 17, 2026, 31 advocates and volunteers assembled in Washington, DC to meet with 51 Congressional offices. We lobbied to support the Safe Step Act, to support robust funding for the National Eye Institute, and to protect the FDA's role in keeping drugs safe.
The Dry Eye Foundation and the Alliance for Vision Resarch co-hosted the Dry Eye Disease Congressional Briefing. Dan Ignaszewski, Amanda Mott, Joseph Allen OD, and Rebecca Petris spoke at the briefing.
Ready to join us in July 2027?
About
Dry Eye in DC is hosted by The Dry Eye Foundation a dedicated “by-and-for-patients” organization for the dry eye community. This work began almost 20 years ago as DryEyeZone, the popular patient information platform and online forum started by DEF co-founder Rebecca Petris. As unmet dry eye patient needs continued to grow, in 2018 we incorporated as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization with a mission to improve quality of life for people with dry eye disease.
We’ve partnered with The Alliance for Vision Research, which hosts yearly Congressional Briefings, covering urgent topics like myopia, thyroid eye disease, and advances in retinal disease treatments. These events bring together researchers, clinicians, patient advocates, and policymakers to highlight cutting-edge discoveries and the need for sustained federal funding through agencies such as the National Eye Institute (NEI).
All Advocacy Day meetings are scheduled by a trusted 3rd party, Soapbox Consulting.
Thank You to our Sponsors!
Gold Sponsors:
Bausch and Lomb
EyeCool Therapeutics
Scope Ophthalmics
Silver Sponsor: Nordic Pharma
Travel Sponsor: Iolyx Therapeutics