Overview

Provider Statement

This continuing education activity is provided by Vindico Medical Education

Support Statement

This activity is supported by an educational grant from Thea Pharma Inc.

Activity Description

Management of glaucoma is often complicated by the high burden of ocular surface disease (OSD). Benzalkonium chloride (BAK) preservative, contained in many topical glaucoma therapies, has known toxic effects on the ocular surface. As many patients struggle with tolerability, adherence, and ocular surface damage with traditional medications, BAK-free options have become an increasingly important component of personalized glaucoma care. This educational program will review the drawbacks of preserved formulations, highlight the latest evidence on preservative-free therapies, and explore how these agents can improve intraocular pressure control, comfort, and long-term treatment success. Through expert-led case discussions, participants will gain practical strategies for optimizing outcomes and safeguarding ocular surface health using preservative-free options in patients with glaucoma.

Target Audience

The intended audience for this activity is comprehensive ophthalmologists and optometrists involved in the management of patients with glaucoma.

Learning Objectives

Upon successful completion of this activity, participants should be better able to:

Recognize the adverse effects associated with preserved topical glaucoma medications.
Use preservative-free glaucoma medications in accordance with the latest evidence and recommendations.

Activity Chair

Jason Bacharach, MD
Medical and Research Director
North Bay Eye Associates, Inc.
Sonoma County, CA
Co-Director, Glaucoma Service
Department of Ophthalmology
California Pacific Medical Center
Pacific Vision Eye Institute
San Francisco, CA

Faculty

Kenneth A. Beckman, MD, FACS
Director, Corneal Service
Comprehensive EyeCare of Central Ohio
Westerville, OH
Clinical Assistant Professor
The Ohio State University
Columbus, OH

Sarah H. Van Tassel, MD
Director, Glaucoma Service
Director, Glaucoma Fellowship
Associate Professor of Ophthalmology
Weill Cornell Medicine
New York, NY

Planners/Reviewers

Ronald A. Codario, MD, EMBA, FACP, FNLA, RPVI, CHCP
Mary Beth Yackey, OD

Accreditation

ACCME Jointly accredited In support of improving patient care, Vindico Medical Education is jointly accredited by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME), the Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education (ACPE), and the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC), to provide continuing education for the healthcare team. This activity will also award credit for optometry (COPE) if the requirements necessary for credit are met.

Credit Designation

Vindico Medical Education designates this enduring material for a maximum of 0.75 AMA PRA Category 1 Credit(s)™. Physicians should claim only the credit commensurate with the extent of their participation in the activity.

Vindico Medical Education designates this asynchronous enduring activity for a maximum of 0.75 COPE credit hours. Optometrists should claim only the credit commensurate with the extent of their participation in the activity.

COPE Course Number: 102737-GL
COPE Activity Number: 132264

This enduring material is approved for 1 year from the date of original release, March 15, 2026, to March 14, 2027.

How to Participate in This Activity and Obtain CE Credit

To participate in this activity, you must read the objectives, answer the polling and pretest questions, view the content, and complete the posttest and evaluation. Provide only one (1) correct answer for each question. A satisfactory score is defined as answering 6 of the 9 posttest questions correctly. If a satisfactory score on the posttest is achieved, Vindico Medical Education will issue an AMA PRA Category 1 Credit(s)™ certificate or COPE CE certificate.

In addition to providing a downloadable certificate, CME Providers accredited by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME) have the ability to transmit CME credit data for all US physicians to an online repository, the ACCME Program and Activity Reporting System (PARS). CME credit data submitted to PARS can be viewed, managed, and tracked by US physicians in "CME Passport," a free, centralized web application. US Physicians who opt-in by providing their medical license number, state of licensure, and date of birth will have their credits automatically reported to the ACCME.

Disclosures

Vindico Medical Education adheres to the ACCME’s Standards for Integrity and Independence in Accredited Continuing Education. Individuals in a position to control the content of a continuing education activity, including faculty, planners, reviewers, or others, are required to disclose all relevant financial relationships with ineligible entities (commercial interests). All relevant conflicts of interest have been mitigated prior to the commencement of the activity.

Relationship information is accurate at the time of content development.

Activity Chair and Faculty report the following relevant financial relationship(s)

Jason Bacharach, MD
Consultant: AbbVie, Alcon, Bausch + Lomb, Glaukos, PolyActiva, Sun, Thea
Speaker Contracted by Ineligible Company: AbbVie, Alcon, Bausch + Lomb, Glaukos, Sun

Kenneth A. Beckman, MD, FACS
Consultant: AbbVie, Alcon, Amgen, Bausch + Lomb, Glaukos, OSRX, Thea
Speaker Contracted by Ineligible Company: Glaukos

Sarah H. Van Tassel, MD
Consultant: AbbVie, Alcon, Balance Ophthalmics, Glaukos, Thea
Stock Options: Balance Ophthalmics

Reviewers/Planners reports the following relevant financial relationship(s)

Ronald A. Codario, MD, EMBA, FACP, FNLA, RPVI, CHCP
No relevant financial relationships to disclose.

Mary Beth Yackey, OD
Advisor: Glaukos

Vindico Medical Education staff report the following relevant financial relationship(s)

No relevant financial relationships to disclose.

Signed disclosures are on file at Vindico Medical Education, Office of Medical Affairs and Compliance.

Unlabeled and Investigational Usage

The audience is advised that this continuing education activity may contain references to unlabeled uses of FDA-approved products or to products not approved by the FDA for use in the United States. The faculty members have been made aware of their obligation to disclose such usage. All activity participants will be informed if any speakers/authors intend to discuss either non–FDA-approved or investigational use of products/devices.

Copyright Statement

Created and published by Vindico Medical Education, 6900 Grove Road, Building 100, Thorofare, NJ 08086-9447. Telephone: 856-994-9400; Fax: 856-384-6680. Printed in the USA. Copyright © 2026 Vindico Medical Education. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced without written permission from the publisher. The material presented at or in any Vindico Medical Education continuing education activity does not necessarily reflect the views and opinions of Vindico Medical Education. Neither Vindico Medical Education nor the faculty endorse or recommend any techniques, commercial products, or manufacturers. The faculty/authors may discuss the use of materials and/or products that have not yet been approved by the FDA. All readers and continuing education participants should verify all information before treating patients or utilizing any product.

Procedures for Reporting Copyright Infringement

If you suspect that any content in this activity violates your copyright, you can request the removal of such content or restrict access to it by contacting our designated copyright agent (as outlined below). In your email, kindly provide the following details:

Specify the copyrighted work you believe has been infringed upon.
Describe the work and, if possible, include the location (eg, URL) of an authorized version of the work.
Share your name, address, telephone number, and, if available, your email address.
Assert that you genuinely believe that the use of the materials in question is not authorized by the copyright owner, its agent, or the law.
Confirm that the information you have provided is accurate and send an attestation, "under penalty of perjury," that you are either the copyright owner or have the authority to act on behalf of the copyright owner.
Provide a signature or its electronic equivalent from the copyright holder or a representative authorized to act on their behalf.

Our agent for copyright issues relating to this web activity is as follows:
Vindico Medical Education, LLC
Attn: Faith Bantivoglio
6900 Grove Road, Building 300
Thorofare, NJ 08086
fbantivoglio@vindicocme.com
or call: 856-994-9400, ext. 614

CE Questions?

Contact us at cme@vindicoCME.com

ONLINE ACTIVITIES

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Preservative-Free Glaucoma Strategies for Better Ocular Surface Health