New clinical data presented during the 2026 American Academy of Optometry (AAO) annual meeting in Anaheim, California, this week suggests that irrigating the ocular surface before dosing an antihistamine may deliver relief that the drop alone doesn't—at least within the first 15 minutes.
At the center of these findings: Rinsada’s ocular irrigation device.
First up: Tell me about Rinsada.
The Wildwood, Pennsylvania-headquartered medical device company is known for its namesake product, developed by retinal specialist Srini Kondapalli, MD, of the Everett & Hurite Ophthalmic Association in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
For some background: Click here to hear from Dr. Kondapalli himself on why Rinsada is a game-changer for clinicians and ocular surface disease (OSD) patients.
And the device itself?
The FDA-cleared Class I sterile medical device is a first-of-its-kind irrigating lid retractor designed to reset the ocular tear film by irrigating the entire ocular surface—palpebral conjunctiva and fornix included—with just one use.
Specifically: Rinsada enables clinicians to thoroughly flush the ocular surface and remove what standard irrigation cannot, including:
- Biofilm
- Allergens
- Debris
- Toxins
Explain how this process works, exactly.
The patent-designed device uses high-pressure saline to target deep beneath the eyelid via the Luer Lock medical syringe. It utilizes a standard 77-cc of saline for the superior eyelid and 3 cc for the inferior eyelid.
And as we’ve previously reported, the resulting effect is reduced inflammatory load and allergens in the target areas—giving patients immediate symptom relief associated with eye irritation.
- Check out the step-by-step breakdown of how this process works.
Alrighty, I’m updated—now to this new research.
Head-to-Head Comparison of Complete Ocular Mucosal Lavage and Olopatadine 0.7% Versus Olopatadine 0.7% Alone for Ocular Allergy Symptoms was presented by Dr. Kondapali and Cory Lappin, OD, MS, FAAO, of The Dry Eye Center of Ohio, Cincinnati.
- To note: Dr. Lappin is a consultant for the company.
What to know: A prospective, head-to-head study evaluated 16 patients (32 eyes) with active allergic conjunctivitis (AC) and a history of seasonal AC.
The objectives were two-fold, in which investigators wanted to evaluate:
- the efficacy of ocular lavage in symptomatic AC
- the usability of Rinsada in an outpatient eyecare setting
And its design?
The study was a “contralateral-eye” comparison, in which each patient served as their own control.
The treatment setup:
- One eye: received ocular mucosal lavage (via Rinsada) with 10 cc sterile, preservative-free saline (7 cc upper fornix, 3 cc lower fornix)
- This was followed 5 minutes later by olopatadine 0.7%
- In the fellow eye: Olopatadine 0.7% was administered (alone)
What were the outcome measures?
- Ocular itch scores (on a 0-4 scale) at baseline and 15 minutes for both eyes
- Combination therapy eyes evaluated at days 7 and 21
Next up: the results.
Baseline median itch scores were comparable between arms: 2.5 (lavage + olopatadine) vs. 2.0 (olopatadine alone).
At 15 minutes: Lavage + olopatadine eyes showed a median itch improvement of 2.0 points (95% confidence interval [CI], 1.5–2.5)—whereas olopatadine-alone eyes showed no median improvement.
Also worth noting: Paired Wilcoxon signed-rank analysis favored combination therapy (P < .001).
And regarding symptom reduction?
Investigators noted that symptom reduction persisted through day 21 in “a majority of patients.”
Why this is important: It supports further evaluation into complete ocular mucosal lavage as “an adjunctive approach” for AC patients.
Any limitations to consider when looking at these numbers?
A few stick out, including the study’s single-item subjective outcome and the lack of masking, sham irrigation, or saline-only control arm.
To note: No specific limitations were mentioned in the study’s clinical abstract.
So based on this data, what did investigators determine?
In a nutshell: Adjunctive lavage produced significantly greater immediate symptomatic improvement than olopatadine alone.
- “Rinsada represents a new way of thinking about ocular surface irrigation,” stated Dr. Lappin, lead author of the study. “Instead of asking only what medication can be added to the ocular surface, (the device) allows clinicians to first address what may need to be removed from it.”
The authors hypothesized that the procedure could also reduce tear film allergen load and limit the allergic cascade—with this latest data serving as pilot findings to support further investigation.