Many Americans suffer from eye conditions like dry eye disease, glaucoma, or post-surgical pain, but commercial medications don’t meet the specific needs of some individual patients within these larger populations. In such cases, ophthalmic compounding can be used to formulate customized eye drops to help prescribers ensure that their patients receive personalized therapies when commercial options are inadequate.
However, not every pharmacy offers ophthalmic compounding, as it is a highly specialized niche that demands advanced expertise, training, infrastructure, and oversight from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Compounded eye medications must be prepared in strictly controlled sterile environments using specialized equipment, including cleanroom facilities, HEPA-filtered laminar flow hoods, sterilization autoclaves, and staff in full protective garb to maintain sterility.
These strict regulations and the high costs of maintaining sterile, USP-compliant facilities pose significant challenges for compounding pharmacies. Because of this, pharmacies that once specialized in ophthalmic compounding have closed or eliminated their compounded ophthalmic formulations, leaving eye care providers looking for alternatives.
At VLS Pharmacy, we remain fully committed to ophthalmic compounding and continue to invest in the training and instrumentation needed to continue to serve our prescribers.
Overview of Ophthalmic Compounded Medications
With the closure of some ophthalmic compounding pharmacies, the demand for customized medications to treat conditions like chronic dry eye, infections, or post-surgery inflammation often exceeds the supply. VLS Pharmacy has established a comprehensive formulary to help meet a variety of patient needs while still allowing for customization based on prescriber specifications. For example, some patients may be allergic to preservatives like benzalkonium chloride (BAK), which are found in some eye drops, and we are able to formulate with an alternative ingredient. Or they may also need a strength that isn’t commercially available, like the dosage required for a pediatric patient.
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Another major advantage is access to medications during shortages or discontinuities. For example, if an FDA-approved glaucoma drop or a mydriatic agent is suddenly unavailable, a compounding pharmacy can bridge this gap by compounding the medication. In fact, several eye care professionals reached out to VLS Pharmacy when certain cycloplegic agents or glaucoma drops like dorzolamide were unavailable in the past.
Compounded ophthalmic drugs also enable off-label and innovative therapies that wouldn’t be possible otherwise. If emerging research suggests a novel treatment for an eye condition using an FDA-approved medication, a 503A compounding pharmacy can work with prescribers to reformulate it based on a valid, patient-specific prescription. For example, complex cases of glaucoma or post-surgical pain might benefit from compounded preparations that aren’t currently commercially available.
Expanded Compounded Ophthalmic Treatment Options
Part of our commitment to ophthalmic compounding involves expanding our available formulations. We collaborate with prescribers and stay abreast of the latest research to introduce new compounded therapies, including:
- Low-Dose Atropine Eye Drops: We compound custom atropine eye drops in concentrations (such as 0.05%, 0.025%, or 0.01%) appropriate for pediatric patients to minimize side effects.
- Low-Dose Naltrexone (LDN) Eye Drops: Patients with diabetes frequently develop corneal surface problems, such as severe dry eye and delayed wound healing, that conventional treatments fail to adequately address. Low-dose naltrexone can be compounded as eye drops to improve corneal healing and reduce inflammation in diabetic patients.
- Pregabalin 0.6% Eye Drops: Pregabalin is an FDA-approved medication for neuropathic pain, and recent research has suggested that it can also reduce acute eye pain after ophthalmic surgery. It may also have neuroprotective effects in glaucoma.
Partner with VLS Pharmacy & New Drug Loft as Your Long-Term Ophthalmic Compounder
We understand that busy ophthalmology clinics need a compounding partner who is responsive, reliable, and patient-focused. If your compounding pharmacy partner has closed or no longer offers compounded ophthalmic medications, we’re here to fill this gap. Please fill out our new prescriber form, and we will respond within two business days.
Our fulfillment process is easy, and we allow prescribers to submit their prescription requests electronically, via fax, or by contacting our team directly. Once an order is received, we prepare our compounded medications promptly, and they undergo all necessary quality checks before being shipped to prescriber offices or even directly to clients for acute, chronic, pre- and post-op care.
Each compounded ophthalmic preparation goes through a strict quality assurance protocol, including sterile filtration or autoclaving, endotoxin testing, and potency verification, to ensure it is correctly formulated. As a licensed 503A pharmacy, we adhere to all applicable regulations and hold third-party accreditations to confirm regulatory compliance.
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Reach out to our team to learn about best practices and to partner with our experts on custom compounded medications for your patients. All medications from VLS Pharmacy and New Drug Loft are prepared in a lab that follows safety and quality standards per our status as a 503A pharmacy.
Read More…
- Learn about low-dose atropine eye drops, another ophthalmic compounding solution from VLS Pharmacy & New Drug Loft
- A deep dive into ophthalmic compounding
- It’s never been easier to submit your prescriptions! Place your order today
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