To the layperson, dry eye disease (DED), technically xerophthalmia, often is dismissed as an innocuous nuisance that can be treated with over-the-counter eye drops. But Anat Galor, an ophthalmologist in Miami and clinical expert with the American Academy of Ophthalmology (AAO), said the disease name "is a little bit of a misnomer" for a chronic indication that encompasses a variety of symptoms and can have serious consequences for patients.