Eye drops are used daily by hundreds of millions of people around the globe to treat dry eyes, allergies, glaucoma, and more. Dispensing eye drops is a small task for many, but for people with dexterity issues — like arthritis — squeezing a small vial is not as straightforward as it sounds.

The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) found that veterans with arthritis or related conditions often struggled to successfully apply their eye drops because typical vial designs were hard to hold and squeeze. This created more wasted medication and lower compliance rates among patients, leading to higher rates of vision loss.

At the San Francisco VA Medical Center, Julie Schallhorn observed that difficulty firsthand among her patients. She realized there was a better solution and collaborated with the VA’s Technology Transfer Program (TTP) and the University of California to develop it. That led to the creation of an ergonomic holder that stabilizes the vial on the patient’s cheekbone, allowing for the release of a controlled, precise eye drop.

Once a successful prototype was developed and a patent filed, the VA worked with TechLink to identify Rain Eye Drops as an ideal commercialization partner. Rain entered into a licensing agreement with the VA and then worked with engineers and manufacturers to further refine the design for scalable production.

The technology transfer process facilitated by TechLink and supported by the VA TTP exemplified effective public-private collaboration in its efficiency, transparency, and accessibility. The VA and Rain worked together to ensure the innovation designed for veterans could also reach the broader population quickly.

Their agreement ensured that the RainDrop dispenser aid would be provided free with all Rain products, dramatically increasing access and impact at the cost of developing it solely to drive profit. Within two years of licensing the product, Rain launched it nationwide. The result was a perfect example of how federal laboratories can turn clinician-driven insights into scalable healthcare solutions that improve the daily lives of millions.

The collaboration among the VA, University of California, TechLink, and Rain demonstrated a model for ethical, transformative, clinician-driven inventions. While no exact distribution figures have been published since the device hit the market, it is fair to assume that thousands of consumers have been exposed to the dispenser as a result of receiving it with other Rain products. The VA continues to push the technologies associated with eye diseases and dexterity issues (like their Microshunt for glaucoma) into the mainstream with remarkable speed, efficiency, and empathy.

For millions of patients — veterans and citizens alike — the RainDrop Eye Dispenser is helping them see clearly and live better every single day.

This technology received a 2026 FLC Excellence in Technology Transfer Award. Learn more here and discover more awardees in our Awards Gallery.