New Zealanders with glaucoma are being shortchanged when it comes to treatments. The condition is the leading cause of preventable blindness and can be managed using daily eye drops. However, the drops that are funded here include a preservative called benzalkonium chloride (BAK), a very effective antiseptic that unfortunately causes eye irritation in some patients.
It is estimated that about half of all people on long-term eyedrop therapy for glaucoma suffer from ocular surface disease, which includes dry eye syndrome and can also result in redness, burning, foreign body sensation and light sensitivity.
“If treatment is started early,
