I Saw This Dry Eye Medication on TV… Why Didn’t You Recommend It?

Last week I was flying at night on a short trip—Kearney to Blair. Everything was normal until my radio started turning to static and the display began flickering. Then I noticed my amps were at zero, which basically meant the airplane was running on battery power and I had a limited amount of time before things started shutting off.

So I did something that sounds simple, but is surprisingly hard when you’re stressed: I stopped trying to fix everything at once and focused on the next few things that actually mattered.

I turned off anything I didn’t need to save power. I diverted to Grand Island. And as I got closer, systems started dropping—interior lighting, navigation aids, the usual stuff you rely on. The radio eventually reverted to the emergency frequency. People were trying to help and asking questions, but I was already in the pattern with only minutes left. The only job at that point was to land the airplane safely before I lost more capability.

I landed with runway lights and strobes—no landing light—and once I exited the runway, the remaining lights finally died.

Afterward, I kept thinking about why that situation worked out: not because I had perfect information, and not because I did every “standard” thing. It worked out because I focused on the right steps in the right order, just as my training taught me to do.

And honestly… that’s a lot like treating dry eye.

The Dry Eye Medication on TV Problem

If you’ve struggled with dry eye, you’ve probably done this:

You see a dry eye medication on TV commercial and think:

“Should I be on that?”Or: “Why didn’t my doctor recommend that?”

That’s a fair question. Those ads make it sound like there’s one obvious answer.

But dry eye isn’t one single condition. It’s a bucket of symptoms that can come from different root causes.

So the better question isn’t, “Is that medication good?”It’s: “Is that medication right for my type of dry eye?”

Why One Treatment Doesn’t Work for Everyone

Two people can have the same complaint—burning, watering, gritty sensation, blurry vision—and need completely different solutions.

Because “dry eye” symptoms can be driven by things like:

• Tears evaporating too fast (often from oil gland problems in the eyelids)

• Not making enough tears

• Inflammation on the surface of the eye

• Allergies masquerading as dryness

• Eyelid inflammation (blepharitis/MGD)

• Irritation from certain eye drops (especially preserved drops)

• Contact lens–related dryness

• Eyes not closing fully at night (exposure)

Some prescription drops you see advertised may be excellent—especially when inflammation is a major driver. But if your main issue is oil glands, eyelids, exposure, or allergy overlap, that same medication might not deliver the improvement you’re expecting.

Not because it’s “bad.”Because it’s not aimed at the real target.

Shotgun vs Sniper: How We Save You Time and Money

A lot of people end up in the “shotgun approach” without meaning to:

• try a bunch of over-the-counter drops

• switch brands repeatedly

• add gels, wipes, warm compresses

• try supplements

• try the prescription they saw on TV

• then try another one when that doesn’t work

That path is common. It’s also expensive, frustrating, and slow.

A better approach is the sniper approach:

1. Figure out the main driver of your symptoms

2. Choose the treatment that matches that driver

3. Use testing strategically to confirm, track, and fine-tune

4. Avoid spending months on treatments that were never likely to help

This usually saves patients time, money, and a lot of “why isn’t this working?” fatigue.

So What Are You Doing During My Dry Eye Visit?

When we evaluate dry eye, we’re not trying to do every test on every person.

We’re trying to answer a few practical questions:

• Is there anything more serious we need to catch?

• What’s the most likely root cause for this patient?

• What treatment is most likely to help first?

• What testing will actually change what we do next?

That might include checking tear film stability, looking at eyelid oil gland function, staining the surface of the eye to see damage patterns, and sometimes doing specific tests for tear quality or inflammation.

The point isn’t “more tests.”The point is the right tests.

Because when we get the diagnosis right, we don’t have to guess our way through five treatments hoping one sticks.

Why We Might Not Start With the “TV Medication”

Sometimes the best plan is absolutely the medication you saw on TV.

Other times, the best first move is:

• treating the eyelids and oil glands first

• reducing surface irritation and changing drop strategy

• addressing allergy overlap

• stabilizing the surface before introducing certain prescriptions

• or choosing a different prescription that fits your situation better

It’s the same principle as that flight: when things get urgent or unclear, you don’t do everything—you do what moves you safely forward.

What I Want You to Know as a Patient

If you’ve ever felt like:“Why am I still trying things?”or“Why isn’t this working?”

You’re not alone. Dry eye is real, and it can be stubborn.

But you shouldn’t have to take a random walk through treatments.

The goal is to be intentional—use a targeted evaluation, pick the therapy that fits your type of dry eye, and adjust based on how your eyes respond.

That’s how we get you out of the trial-and-error cycle faster.

If you are suffering from redness, fluctuating vision, dryness or eye irritation, we LOVE to help patients like you, give us a call!