Editorial

Impressions on The Ocular Surface: The

Entity and The Journal
y earliest recollections of Dr. Gary Foulks date back to his time at Duke when he invited me
M to give a presentation on impression cytology. He had a yer printed up announcing my
visit. When he received the package of announcements, he noticed to his dismay that the
title of my presentation had been misprinted and read Impression Psychology. To those of us who
see a lot of dry eye patients, the title was somewhat prophetic. My impressions of Gary were then
time and continue to be that he is a gentleman, an outstanding clinician and researcher, someone
who cared for his patients, and who, as Editor-in Chief (EIC) of The Ocular Surface, has provided lead-
ership and guidance to build the journals reputation, scope, and impact. The journals high rank ac-
cording to the Thomas Reuters Impact Factor speaks to both the importance of the subject area and
the editorial quality the journal has achieved.
As I take over as EIC, I want to thank Gary for his years of service (2006-2014) as EIC and, before
that, as Section Editor of Clinical Science. I also wish to acknowledge his leadership in the study and
investigation of ocular surface disease. Gary has been a good friend and mentor for many years. I
nd it ironic that over the years Mike Lemp, Gary, and I worked together on many projects, and I
now follow Gary, who followed Mike (2003-2005) as EIC of The Ocular Surface. I am pleased and
thankful that Gary will continue to be a member of the Editorial Board and Section Editor of the Inno-
vative Techniques and Technology section.
I have been involved in clinical and basic science research related to the ocular surface and dry eye
diseases for over 35 years. A native of northern Minnesota, I did my residency and fellowship at the
University of Minnesota and currently serve as an Associate Medical Director of Specialty Care at
HealthPartners Medical Group in the Twin Cities and a Professor of Ophthalmology at the University
of Minnesota. I am married with three grown children, and I continue to have an active consultative
practice where I see patients with severe dry eye complaints. I was actively involved in the original
NIH Dry Eye Workshop, the 2007 International Dry Eye WorkShop (DEWS), and the 2011 Meibomian
Gland Dysfunction Workshop. Since 2011, I have been the Clinical Science Editor for The Ocular
Surface.
When I started my career over 35 years ago, I remember presenting a paper at ARVO on impression
cytology in Orlando, Florida in 1980 (yes, the rst time ARVO moved from Sarasota). As I looked over
the program (yes, I still have it), there were, maybe, 25 presentations that were related to the ocular
surface and less than ten of those related to dry eye. My, have things changed! Today, ocular surface
and dry eye disorders are at the forefront of clinical and basic research, industry focus, and public in-
terest. This is due to many factors, but I want to call out the impact the Tear Film and Ocular Surface
Society has had on our eld. It has and will continue to have an important relationship with our journal.
My goal as EIC is simpled to build the reputation and impact of the journal by continuing to pub-
lish high-quality reviews, as well as original science papers. Accomplishing that goal will depend on you,
our readership, who are doing the important clinical and basic research. I want to encourage our readers
to submit reviews and original papers to The Ocular Surface. I want the journal to be your rst choice
for your best work. I will make every effort to assure timely and constructive review by our editors and
the reviewers they select. My impression is that still greater things are to come for The Ocular Surface.

J. Daniel Nelson, MD
Editor-in-Chief

THE OCULAR SURFACE / JANUARY 2015, VOL. 13 NO. 1 / www.theocularsurface.com 3