The Scheie Eye Institute’s Dry Eye and Ocular Surface Center, under the co-leadership of Mina Massaro-Giordano, MD, and Vatinee Bunya, MD, MSCE, dually innovates in both dry eye disease (DED) research and clinical care. Dr. Massaro-Giordano, a recipient of the prestigious American Academy of Ophthalmology's Achievement Award and the Italian American Spirit of Medicine Award—and Dr. Bunya, American Academy of Ophthalmology Achievement Award and Secretariat Award winner in consecutive years—bring decades of expertise to the critical field.
From its inception in 2009 to 2025, the Dry Eye and Ocular Surface Center’s educational content has attracted hundreds of thousands of viewers on YouTube and served large numbers of patients at the Scheie Eye Institute. The Center’s most recent advances focus on studying compounds that target DED’s root causes—which can include evaporative dry eye, aqueous deficiency, and inflammation. In addition to root cause, severity can be assessed by infrared imaging of the meibomian glands—or meibography. The Scheie team has also advanced knowledge of racial and ethnic association with DED’s severity.
Dr. Massaro and Dr. Bunya have published promising research of Intense Pulsed Light (IPL) on Meibomian Gland Dysfunction (MGD), with successful results in conjunction with meibomian gland expression, low-level light therapy, and thermal pulsation. Other effective therapies include therapeutic contact lenses, amniotic membrane transplant, and neurostimulation. In the realm of MGD, peer-led research is also promising for Perfluorohexyloctane (PFHO)—a compound that specifically targets evaporative dry eye by interacting with the tear film’s lipophilic component, preventing tear evaporation, and dissolving altered, thick meibum.
Through research on TP-03 (lotilaner ophthalmic solution 0.25%), Dr. Bunya and Dr. Massaro-Giordano are making significant strides in treating Demodex blepharitis, an oft-overlooked condition that causes irritation and inflammation in DED patients.
Drs. Massaro-Giordano and Bunya are also dedicated in advancing public knowledge of Sjögren’s Disease—which involves both salivary and lacrimal gland dysfunction—including involvement in recent studies on its association corneal epithelial thickness with Sjögren’s Disease. Our team at the Dry Eye and Ocular Surface Center has found that some ocular surface disorders and complications are even reactive, incited by previous treatments with Dupilumab.
The Scheie Eye Institute maintains our commitment to advancing dry eye disease treatment—building upon cutting-edge research, and improving patient outcomes through conducting ongoing clinical trials, researching novel treatments, sharing findings with the medical community, and expanding relief options for millions affected by DED.
Each spring, the Scheie Eye Institute—led by the co-directors of the Dry Eye and Ocular Surface Center—proudly supports the Sjögren’s Foundation’s Philadelphia Tri-State Walk for Sjögren’s. Please learn more and join our efforts at
http://events.sjogrens.org/goto/ScheieEye.
by Maressa Park