What is TFOS?
TFOS stands for the Tear Film and Ocular Surface Society. They are a nonprofit professional organization centered entirely around all things dry eye. In our dry eye world, they are best known as the organizing force behind the developing of TFOS DEWS (2007) and TFOS DEWS II (2017) reports, otherwise known as our dry eye bibles - publications that collect, critique and distill "What We Know" about dry eye based on decades of the best research.
TFOS DEWS II (2017)
TFOS DEWS II was published in The Ocular Surface in July, 2017. It took 150 professionals more than 2.5 years to produce and is a truly awesome resource.
- The complete TFOS DEWS II report
- Introduction - Puts the whole report in context. Explains why the whole thing is so long! Lists all subcommittee members. Summarizes findings of each report in a couple of compact little paragraphs. Great read!
- Definition and Classification - Among other things, presents the much-debated definition of dry eye in all its glory, and explains why defining this disease is so intensely controversial.
- Sex, Gender, Hormone - Dry eye affects women more than men, and this report explores the reasons why.
- Epidemiology - What we know today about how many people get dry eye and what the risk factors are, plus examines the dry eye symptom questionnaires.
- Tear Film - Explores in great depth the extraordinary fluid called tears, how they work, how we study them, and the sorts of things that affect them.
- Pain and Sensation - Very exciting, much-needed and much-awaited but... look out, it's extremely technical.
- Pathophysiology - The "how" of dry eye disease.
- Iatrogenic Dry Eye - The many drugs, surgeries, procedures and medical devices that can cause or worsen dry eye.
- Diagnostic Methodology - Covers all the different types of tests and proposes how to approach dry eye diagnsosis.
- Management and Therapy - The hands-down favorite. This is the exhaustive source of all of the medical side of treating dry eye, and some of the practical side is touched on as well.
- Clinical Trial Design - Discusses, among other things, some of the frustrating reasons why no dry eye drugs got approved for so many years, even though we know some work.
TFOS Intl. Workshop on Contact Lens Discomfort (2013)
This breakthrough report explores all aspects of contact lens discomfort. The 2-page summary below is a must-read!
Contact Lens Discomfort What is it, why does it occur, and how can it be treated? (2-page PDF)
Executive Summary (8-page PDF)
- Introduction
- Definition and Classification
- Epidemiology
- Contact Lens Materials, Design and Care
- Neurobiology of Discomfort and Pain
- Contact Lens Interactions with the Ocular Surface and Adnexa
- Contact Lens Interactions with the Tear Film
- Trial Design and Outcomes
- Management and Therapy of CLD
- Conclusions
TFOS International Workshop on Contact Lens Discomfort (2013) - Executive summary
TFOS International Workshop on Meibomian Gland Dysfunction (2011)
TFOS Intl. Workshop on MGD (2011)
TFOS DEWS Report (2007)
The original TFOS DEWS report was a much-needed breakthrough. It took three years to complete, and summarized everything we knew at that time. Demand for information was surging and this was a huge step towards educating doctors and equipping them to help their dry eye patients. (TFOS DEWS II is the updated version 10 years later.)
Note: I've provided the outline of major contents here so that you can see what's in it, but the hyperlinks all go to the index page.