EssilorLuxottica Joins Forces with TFOS to Shape Global Ocular Surface Standards
The eyecare giant is backing new surgical guidelines and dry eye research as part of a landmark partnership with the world's leading ocular surface society.
EssilorLuxottica has announced a strategic partnership with the Tear Film & Ocular Surface Society (TFOS), signalling a significant step forward in the industry's approach to ocular surface disease management and perioperative care standards.
The collaboration brings together one of the world's largest integrated eyecare companies and the international non-profit organisation widely regarded as the scientific backbone of ocular surface research. For eyecare practitioners, the implications extend well beyond corporate alignment. The partnership is set to directly influence clinical guidelines, education programs, and the evidence base underpinning dry eye management.
Surgical Outcomes in Focus
A central deliverable of the partnership is EssilorLuxottica's sponsorship of a new consensus report: "Guidelines for Preparing the Ocular Surface for Eye Surgery." Developed by a global panel of leading experts, the document aims to harmonise perioperative ocular surface care across cataract, refractive, glaucoma, retinal, and oculoplastic procedures.
It's a clinically timely initiative. Dry eye disease and broader ocular surface dysfunction are increasingly recognised as significant variables in surgical outcomes influencing the accuracy of pre-operative biometry, elevating the risk of post-operative complications, and ultimately affecting visual performance and the patient experience. Despite this, perioperative ocular surface protocols remain inconsistent across practices and regions.
The forthcoming guidelines are expected to provide a unified, evidence-based framework that could meaningfully raise the standard of surgical preparation in practices across Australia and globally.
DEWS III and the Espansione Connection
The partnership also highlights the contribution of Espansione Group, acquired by EssilorLuxottica in 2025, to the recently released TFOS Dry Eye Workshop (DEWS) III Report, the latest iteration of what is considered the gold-standard reference document for dry eye understanding and management.
Espansione's flagship product, eye-light, an intense pulsed light (IPL) and low-level light therapy device used in the management of meibomian gland dysfunction, was included in the DEWS III findings. For Australian optometrists and ophthalmologists already integrating IPL therapy into their dry eye clinics, this inclusion in a TFOS consensus document adds further clinical weight to the modality.
Previous DEWS publications have reached hundreds of thousands of professionals worldwide, and DEWS III is expected to become an equally foundational resource for practitioners navigating the rapidly evolving dry eye treatment landscape.
Supporting the Global Ambassador Network
EssilorLuxottica's backing also extends to the TFOS Ambassador Program, a global initiative designed to promote awareness of ocular surface health among clinicians and researchers. With dry eye disease continuing to grow in prevalence, particularly among screen-heavy populations and older demographics, education-focused programs of this kind play an increasingly practical role in equipping frontline practitioners.
TFOS has spent two decades driving awareness of external eye diseases, supporting research funding, and advancing innovations in diagnostics and therapeutics. The new partnership positions EssilorLuxottica as a principal ally in that mission going forward.
The full suite of current TFOS resources, including the Diagnostic Methodology Report, the Digest Report, and the Management & Therapy Report, are available via the TFOS website.
