Dry Eye Minute, Issue 3: Set them up before you look.

ISSUE 03 · NOVEMBER 11, 2026 · 1-MINUTE READ

01 SPOT IT: Set them up before you look.

Dry eye patients walk in with baggage: years of drops that didn’t work, a doctor who said “it’s just dry eye,” and a search engine full of fears. If you start examining first, they’re still carrying all of it.

So before I touch the slit lamp, I tell them what’s about to happen: “Our goal is to find the underlying cause and pair it with targeted treatments. We’ll review the findings, then good, better and best treatment options, and decide what to do together. You don’t have to remember anything. It will all be written down for you.”

02 FIX IT: Take away the need to memorize.

A patient trying to remember everything isn’t listening. Promise them it will all be written down, then deliver: detailed exam notes, a Crystal Tear report with every test explained, and my Welcome to Day One book that goes deeper.

Distractions gone, they hear the plan.

03 FEEL IT

“Well begun is half done.”
— Ancient Greek proverb

Ninety seconds of setup does half the work of the whole visit.

04 ASK IT

What does your patient believe about their dry eye before you say a single word?

Sit with it this week. — CB

Finish the year strong. Start your best one. Still need CE hours before the year ends? Start DEI On Demand and earn 17 hours of COPE-accredited CE from home. Our 2027 live dates will be announced soon.