DryEye Rescue has launched Rescue Link, a digital platform designed to help eye care providers deliver personalized over-the-counter (OTC) product recommendations to their patients in real time. The company stated that Rescue Link is now available to all DryEye Rescue and Vision Rescue providers and is positioned as a low-friction solution for improving patient compliance while unlocking new revenue opportunities for practices. Built to replace paper notes, generic post-visit instructions, and verbal guidance, Rescue Link lets providers text a pre-filled link containing recommended products directly to patients within 60 seconds.

The launch underscores how eye care practices are increasingly adopting digital tools to close long-standing gaps in patient adherence. Industry observers note that while prescription therapies often come with clear fulfillment pathways, OTC recommendations have traditionally been left to patient interpretation—a problem that has eroded treatment efficacy and revenue alike. DryEye Rescue described Rescue Link as an effort to turn that “last mile” of product guidance into a seamless, trackable, and revenue-generating touchpoint.

How is Rescue Link designed to address the long-standing patient compliance gap in eye care?

Eye care professionals have long referred to the OTC product shelves as the “aisle of uncertainty,” where patients face an overwhelming variety of drops, wipes, gels, and supplements without clear direction. Studies from organizations such as the Tear Film & Ocular Surface Society have shown that adherence rates in chronic conditions like dry eye disease can fall below 50 percent when patients must choose products themselves. This compliance gap not only undermines clinical outcomes but also reduces the likelihood of repeat visits and follow-up care.

Rescue Link attempts to resolve this friction by embedding product selection into the clinical interaction itself. Providers can choose from over 500 OTC products curated by condition, combine them into treatment bundles, and instantly generate a secure checkout link with the provider’s discount automatically applied. The link takes patients directly to a simplified cart, removing ambiguity about what to buy and where to find it. DryEye Rescue has emphasized that this approach keeps patients anchored to their provider’s recommendations rather than drifting toward generic alternatives on retail shelves.

By ensuring that patients purchase the exact products advised by their clinicians, Rescue Link strengthens continuity of care while helping practices measure and improve adherence rates. It represents a shift from passive recommendation to active fulfillment, a model that has already proven successful in other healthcare niches.

How do Rescue Link’s features align with the shift toward digital retail-healthcare models?

DryEye Rescue said Rescue Link was designed for speed, simplicity, and scalability, with no integration or training required. The platform allows providers to send text-based recommendations chairside, at checkout, or via staff follow-up. Key capabilities include reusable product bundles, automated reorder reminders at 30-, 60-, and 90-day intervals, and a QR code option for patients who do not use text messaging. It also offers a real-time analytics dashboard so practices can track engagement and conversion data.

The company noted that Rescue Link supports two distinct practice models. Clinics that stock products in-office can use the platform to encourage convenient reorders, while those that avoid inventory can leverage it to maintain continuity of care without supply management overhead. This hybrid flexibility reflects broader healthcare trends toward “click-and-cure” models, where treatment recommendations are paired with instant digital purchasing options.

Digital health analysts point out that this mirrors strategies seen in dermatology, dentistry, and primary care, where personalized post-visit product links have increased patient adherence by as much as 40 percent. By embedding discounts, simplifying checkout, and enabling automated reminders, Rescue Link aims to deliver the same gains in eye care—a segment that has lagged behind others in digital retail adoption until recently.

How could Rescue Link reshape practice revenue streams and long-term patient relationships?

DryEye Rescue has positioned Rescue Link as both a clinical and commercial tool. The company explained that traditional OTC recommendation methods often result in lost revenue opportunities because patients either forget the instructions or buy alternative products from retail chains. Rescue Link redirects that purchasing activity back through the provider’s ecosystem, creating a closed-loop commerce channel.

This approach aligns with the growing push for practices to diversify income beyond chair time. In many small to mid-sized eye care clinics, OTC product sales account for less than 5 percent of revenue despite representing a steady demand stream. By automating repeat orders and building condition-based care bundles, Rescue Link could help practices lift that share closer to the 10–15 percent range seen in digitally advanced clinics. Because the platform captures each interaction, it also enables practices to build loyalty programs, subscription models, and patient-specific marketing campaigns—all of which can improve lifetime patient value.

Industry experts have described this strategy as turning OTC product sales from incidental add-ons into a recurring revenue engine. Similar models in other specialties have shown that when providers control the recommendation-to-purchase pipeline, product revenue can double within two years while patient retention rates rise in parallel. Rescue Link appears to be an attempt to replicate that trajectory within the eye care sector.

How does this launch fit within wider digital transformation trends in healthcare and eye care?

The timing of Rescue Link’s launch reflects accelerating digitalization in healthcare. Over the past decade, providers have increasingly deployed software platforms to extend care beyond physical visits, using mobile tools to reinforce adherence, automate follow-ups, and build data-driven care plans. Analysts note that this shift has been especially pronounced in fields managing chronic conditions, where patient engagement must be sustained over long cycles.

Eye care has begun to follow this trajectory as the prevalence of dry eye disease rises, driven by aging populations and increased screen exposure. The global dry eye treatment market has grown steadily, with estimates from Market Research Future valuing it at over $7 billion by 2027. However, much of that growth has concentrated in prescription therapies, leaving OTC product guidance comparatively underdeveloped. Rescue Link’s model addresses this gap by providing practices a scalable way to influence patient purchasing decisions without expanding operational complexity.

By offering a digital bridge between clinical advice and patient action, DryEye Rescue is positioning itself alongside a broader wave of healthtech companies that blend retail mechanics with clinical oversight. Industry analysts suggest that if Rescue Link achieves widespread adoption, it could set a precedent for other eye care suppliers to develop similar fulfillment platforms—potentially reshaping how the sector approaches patient engagement and ancillary revenue.

What are the potential growth and competitive implications if Rescue Link gains widespread adoption?

If Rescue Link sees strong uptake among DryEye Rescue and Vision Rescue providers, it could shift competitive dynamics within the eye care supply chain. By consolidating OTC purchases within provider-linked channels, practices could reclaim sales currently captured by large e-commerce platforms and brick-and-mortar retailers. This may prompt competing suppliers to develop white-labeled or integrated digital recommendation systems of their own.

From a business perspective, widespread adoption would also give DryEye Rescue valuable data on patient purchasing behavior, which could be used to guide product development, optimize marketing campaigns, and build predictive analytics tools for practices. Some market watchers believe this could position the company for partnerships with electronic health record vendors, pharmacy benefit platforms, or even larger healthcare SaaS players seeking to expand into the eye care vertical.

Although DryEye Rescue is privately held, analysts following the healthtech sector suggest that platforms like Rescue Link could become attractive acquisition targets for larger vision care companies or private equity-backed practice networks if they demonstrate strong revenue lift and retention improvements. The recurring revenue mechanics and data-driven engagement model align closely with what investors have rewarded in other healthcare software rollups over the past five years.

For eye care practices, the potential upside is both financial and clinical. Patients benefit from greater clarity and convenience, while providers gain a structured, trackable commerce layer that extends their care influence and stabilizes income. This dual value proposition could accelerate adoption, making digital dispensing platforms a standard component of eye care within the next few years.