MellingMedical and TearLab Agreement Aims to Enhance Early Detection of Dry Eye Disease in American Veterans

One-third of veterans currently diagnosed with this quality-of-life diminishing condition.

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Sep 16, 2021, 09:12 ET

ESCONDIDO, Calif. and ALEXANDRIA, Va., Sept. 16, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- TearLab Corporation (privately held), a leader in Ocular Surface Diagnostics and MellingMedical, a CVE-Verified Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned Small Business (SDVOSB), today announced an agreement that will empower physicians to more effectively diagnose dry eye disease (DED) among veterans.

DED is a very common condition that causes a variety of symptoms including burning eyes, light sensitivity, and fluctuating or blurred vision. Patients suffering from DED have a decreased quality of life and a reduced ability to carry out their activities of daily living.¹

"We are excited to bring osmolarity testing to America's veterans and help support their patient care and therapy decisions," said Chris Melling, founder and CEO of MellingMedical.

Established in more than 100 studies and publications and with over 20 million tests completed to date, the TearLab Osmolarity System uniquely aids physicians in the diagnosis of dry eye by providing precise, predictive, and objective results in 90 seconds. Leading ophthalmology groups have deemed this test essential in detecting significant ocular surface disease as part of the pre-operative workup.

"Osmolarity testing helps empower physicians with an objective and early detection of DED, and provides them with a faster feedback loop to evaluate the impact of therapeutic decisions over a period of weeks instead of months,^2,3" said Adam Szaronos, Chief Commercial Officer of TearLab. "This partnership with MellingMedical now enables veterans and teaching hospitals across the US to access this technology for their patients."

Contact [email protected] for more information.

About MellingMedical

MellingMedical, a CVE-Verified Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned Small Business (SDVOSB), holds a Medical Equipment and Surgical Federal Supply Schedule (Med/Surg), as well as a Pharmaceutical Schedule, and currently serves more than 165 VA Medical Centers and 300 VA Outpatient clinics, all seven (7) VA CMOPs, 95 DoD Medical Facilities and Health and Human Services (HHS), including Indian Health Services (IHS) and the Center for Disease Control (CDC). MellingMedical provides access to innovative and cost-effective healthcare solutions in ophthalmology, optometry. To learn more, visit MellingMedical.com.

About TearLab Corporation
The TearLab Osmolarity Test aids in the diagnosis Dry Eye Disease. TearLab Corporation (www.tearlab.com) develops and markets technologies that enable eye care practitioners to objectively test for disease biomarkers in tears.

^1. Lee CJ, Levitt RC, Felix ER. Evidence that dry eye is a comorbid pain condition in a U.S. veteran population. Pain Rep. 2017;20;2:e629. doi: 10.1097/PR9.0000000000000629.

^2. Sullivan BD, Crews LA, Sönmez B, et al. Clinical utility of objective tests for dry eye disease: variability over time and implications for clinical trials and disease management. Cornea. 2012;31(9):1000-1008. doi: 10.1097/ICO.0b013e318242fd60.

^3. Nelson JS, Farris RL. Sodium hyaluronate and polyvinyl alcohol artificial tear preparations. A comparison in patients with keratoconjunctivitis sicca. Arch Ophthalmol. 1988;106(4):484-487. doi: 10.1001/archopht.1988.01060130530029.

SOURCE MellingMedical