A landmark global framework and a new treatment option have arrived simultaneously, reshaping how Australian optometrists can diagnose and manage dry eye.
The timing couldn’t be more significant for Australian optometrists navigating the evolving dry eye landscape. Just as the TFOS DEWS III global consensus report1,2 has been released – redefining diagnostic and therapeutic approaches to dry eye disease (DED) – one of the world’s most popular eye drops for evaporative dry eye has arrived on the Australian market.
Together, they signal a new phase of clinical clarity and patient care in what remains one of the most prevalent and challenging conditions in eye health. In fact, dry eye is estimated to affect millions of Australians, with evaporative disease, the most common form, accounting for up to 86% of cases.3
Those two major developments in dry eye right now – TFOS DEWS III and the launch of Rohto Dry Aid Intensive Dry Eye Relief – converged at the Optometry Clinical Conference in Melbourne on 17 August 2025 where eyecare professionals heard from UNSW’s Scientia Professor Fiona Stapleton and Sydney optometrist Dr Margaret Lam about the future of dry eye care in Australia.
TFOS DEWS III is a product of the Tear Film & Ocular Surface Society (TFOS), an international not-for-profit organisation that brings together leading scientists, clinicians, and industry experts, including Prof Stapleton, to advance understanding of dry eye disease. It’s best known for the DEWS (Dry Eye Workshop) reports – consensus documents.
At the event, for the first time in Australia Prof Stapleton presented key insights from the recently-released TFOS DEWS III Guidelines, which place greater emphasis on recognising overlapping mechanisms in dry eye, including lipid deficiency and neurosensory discomfort.
Rohto’s multi-action formulation, already supported by robust clinical data, arrives at a moment when guidelines are urging exactly this type of personalised, multifaceted approach.
“For clinicians, Rohto Dry Aid represents a new treatment option that aligns with the primary drivers identified in the TFOS DEWS III Guidelines. Its multi-targeted action makes it well-positioned within this modern management paradigm,” Dr Lam says.
“By targeting overlapping mechanisms and addressing the root causes of dry eye, it offers a more effective approach than many existing therapies. For patients, it redefines what an eye drop can deliver – combining comfort with long-lasting soothing relief.”
Rohto – described as the world’s leading eyecare and eye drop brand backed by more than 100 years of pharmaceutical and ocular research – launched Rohto Dry Aid in Australia in late 2024, offering a new option exclusively available through optometrists for evaporative dry eye.
According to Rohto, its product harnesses a unique three-way mechanism.
It offers lipid layer stabilisation using polyoxyethylene castor oil and sesame oil to support meibomian gland lipids and reduce evaporation. Patients experience cooling comfort due to menthol that activates corneal neurosensory ion channel TRPM8 receptors, offering fast-acting soothing comfort and tear stimulation. And it provides long-lasting hydration, with povidone and polyoxyl stearate reinforcing the tear film structure and providing up to 12 hours of protection with Rohto’s Tearshield Technology.
In an era where patients’ symptoms are exacerbated by heavy screen use and prolonged visual tasks, the promise of up to 12 hours of relief stands out as clinically relevant, Lam notes.4
In a head-to-head trial, Rohto Dry Aid is reported to have outperformed sodium hyaluronate drops in patients with meibomian gland dysfunction, improving tear break-up time (TBUT), ocular surface staining, and patient-reported symptoms.5 Another study found Rohto Dry Aid offered longer-lasting relief than PEG/PG (polyethylene glycol-based eye drops), with patients reporting improved comfort during visual tasks such as night driving.6
The product is now available in Australia through distributor OphthalmoPro, offering optometrists and ophthalmologists a new evidence-backed, over-the-counter solution for those evaporative or mixed-mechanism dry eye.
Importantly, patients can only purchase Rohto Dry Aid exclusively in optometry practices – it won’t be found on the pharmacy shelf.
“At ROHTO, we are delighted to introduce these eye drops to Australia, providing much-needed relief for patients living with dry eye,” said Ms Miho Nishiyama, Rohto global R&D group manager at the launch event held alongside the Optometry Clinical Conference.
References
- https://www.tearfilm.org/paginades-tfos_dews_iii/7399_7239/eng/
- https://www.tearfilm.org/
- Lemp MA, Crews LA, Bron AJ, Foulks GN, Sullivan BD. Distribution of aqueous-deficient and evaporative dry eye in a clinic-based patient cohort: a retrospective study. Cornea. 2012 May;31(5):472-8. doi: 10.1097/ICO.0b013e318225415a. PMID: 22378109.
- https://rohtoeyedrops.com/products/rohto-dry-aid-eye-drops-for-dry-eyes#:~:text=need%20it%20most.-,Advanced%20Dry%20Eye%20Treatment,or%20dryness%20of%20the%20eye.
- Bilgic AA, Sabur H, Canpolat F, et al. (2023): Effects of lipid-containing eye drops on the ocular surface and in vivo confocal microscopy findings in patients using systemic isotretinoin. Cutaneous and Ocular Toxicology, DOI: 10.1080/15569527.2023.2166523
- Torkildsen G, Brujic M, Cooper MS, Karpecki P, Majmudar P, Trattler W, Reis M, Ciolino JB. Evaluation of a new artificial tear formulation for the management of tear film stability and visual function in patients with dry eye. Clin Ophthalmol. 2017 Oct 19;11:1883-1889. doi: 10.2147/OPTH.S144369. PMID: 29089744; PMCID: PMC5656345.
