One doctor’s personal and professional story
Edmund Farris MD, CMO of MYZE
I am Dr. Edmund Farris, board certified ophthalmologist and glaucoma specialist. As Chief Medical Officer (CMO) of MYZE, I am responsible for the therapeutic and scientific education you will find here. How then, you may ask, did a fellowship trained glaucoma specialist become CMO of a company devoted to dry eye treatment and support?
Quite frankly, there are many reasons. Glaucoma specialists create and see dry eye patients every day. The medications we use to treat glaucoma are some of the most harmful to the surface of the eye. That alone is not my motivation, however. I suffer from severe dry eye disease mostly caused by corrective surgery I had on my own eyes on August 10, 2012. Truth is, I probably had some element of undiagnosed dry eye prior to that fateful day. I wore glasses comfortably for many years and was very happy. I was never able to tolerate contact lenses, they always made me feel like I had something in my eye (which of course I did), and I couldn’t understand how others could wear them all day, every day. That should have been the first clue, but as a glaucoma specialist at the time, I didn’t think that the reason I was intolerant to contacts was probably underlying dry eye.
One day, prior to my surgery, my favorite and best pair of glasses broke, and they were unable to be repaired. Sure, I had a backup pair, but they were more for fashion and were not so sturdy themselves. Easy solution, right? Get another pair! Not so fast — I tried every frame with exactly the same prescription as my old pair. I had headaches, distorted vision, haloes — you name it. To this day I still don’t know why all of a sudden, I couldn’t tolerate glasses!! I was miserable, sick and tired. I was always dizzy. I spoke with my partner at the time and he said, “why not have corrective surgery?” Well, this was a drastic step I thought, but I was so distraught I decided to get an evaluation. I was told by three eye surgeons I was an excellent candidate and would do great with the surgery. They performed extensive evaluations of my eyes and declared me fit for surgery. I was excited by the prospect of having clear, glasses free vision for the first time in my life. I figured that having some of the most recognized doctors in corrective surgery would give me assurance that my case would definitely be a success. I scheduled the surgery for August 10, 2012, cleared my schedule for a week after, and eagerly awaited my new life.
NEXT: The day of surgery