Many prescription and OTC eye drops include preservatives, which have proven negative affects to the ocular surface of the eye, but the eye care industry has a long history of using them. Many eye care professionals are apathetic and indifferent about preservatives because they don’t fully understand the benefits of preservative-free products and the industry has never made it a priority to educate them.

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Théa, a champion of preservative-free ophthalmic products, was preparing to launch the first and only preservative-free glaucoma treatment, IYUZEH. We created the Preservative Freedom movement with a goal of driving awareness, increasing availability of and advocating for preservative-free treatments. Enlisting industry advocacy organizations including The Glaucoma Foundation as part of a Preservative Freedom Coalition, the aim was to spark national dialogue about the issue and ultimately improve patient outcomes.

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Launching at a major eye care conference, we brought together industry experts, ophthalmologists and opticians, convincing them to “Say Eye” when it comes to preservative-free treatments, setting the stage for a successful launch of IYUZEH.