Frank J. Holly acquired a background in chemical engineering at the Technical University of Budapest.  After immigrating to the United States he received his doctorate in physical chemistry at Cornell University in 1962. From the beginning of his research career he applied his basic science and engineering background to problems in biology and medicine.  At first, Dr. Holly spent five years of basic research in dentistry and blood compatibility of prosthetic materials and one year lecturing in Central America.

 In 1968 he began a ten year association with the Retina Foundation (now known as the Schepen's Eye Research Institute), in the Cornea Research Department. As early as 1969, he experimented with and proposed the use of higher molecular weight aliphatic alcohols such as heptane to decane for the removal of corneal epithelium with no observable damage to the basement membrane.

 By employing surface chemical methods and principles, he and his fellow co-workers created a sound scientific basis for tear film physiology and gained a unique insight to the pathophysiology of tear film related disorders. Among his major contributions to ophthalmology are the description of the hydrophobic character of the corneal epithelium surface and the discovery of the unexpectedly high surface activity of mucous glycoprotein.  Holly was the first to recognize that the actual cause of dry spot formation is local non-wetting rather than local drying. He established the importance of lipid-protein and mucin-water interaction in tear film stability and explained in basic terms tear film formation and rupture.

 Holly proposed a double membrane hypothesis of retinal adhesion, so far the most realistic of such models. Holly suggested a novel possible cause of contact angle hysteresis, now widely accepted in basic science and engineering, by proposing a molecular mechanism effecting a hydrophobic-hydrophilic transformation of solids, especially hydrogel and biosurfaces. Dr. Holly collaborated in cancer research with researchers in the National Cancer Institute by employing his novel techniques to the study of cellular fibronectin and its role in cellular interaction.

 In 1978, he joined Texas Tech University School of Medicine in West Texas; where three years later he became a Professor of Ophthalmology and Biochemistry.  At that institution, he and his co-workers investigated tear components in an attempt to identify the lacrimal surfactant, as well as developing novel clinical tests for the diagnosis of the various dry eye states. His group also studied the factors that determine biocompatibility of contact lenses.

In the early eighties, the establishment of a National Tear Research Center had been among the plans of the National Eye Institute.  Due to the unexpectedly successful International Tear Film Symposium organized by Holly in 1984, West Texas was selected as the location of such a research center.   Outstanding and budding scientists and physicians from all over the world expressed their desire to spend one or two years in Lubbock to do pioneering lacrimal research under the direction of Dr. Holly.

 It is regretful that these promising developments came to naught due to the shortsightedness of the local administrators.  After two lecture tours, one in Europe and later one in the Orient, Holly decided to start his own research and development laboratory (Vision R&D Laboratory) to develop novel, efficacious collyria for dry eye patients and eventually retired from Academia.  His latest scientific contribution together with his son was the proposal of a new mechanism of lubrication for blinking which corrects the deficiencies of previous hypotheses and provides a solid ground for the modern formulation work of novel ophthalmic lubricants.

 Unable to interest companies to market his novel eye drops Dr. Holly started his own pharmaceutical company, Dakryon, to make the eye drops available to dry eye patients.  After supplying a relatively small (undoubtedly due to lack of advertising) but highly loyal group of long-suffering dry eye patients for a decade, the company was discontinued due to lack of resources.

In 2001 and later in early 2002 Ron Link of the Surgical Eyes approached Dr. Holly and called his attention to the newly arisen problem the idiopathic dry eye.  Sensing an opportunity where his expertise could once again be helpful to patients, Dr. Holly joined the other eye care professionals contributing to the Bulleting Board of Surgical Eyes.  With the help of Joe Echols of Aqueous Pharma, the former Dakryon eye drops were made available again and with the help and co-operation of the motivated patient and doctor members of the organization, these eye drops once again proved to be efficacious in a conceptually new form of “clinical” trial via Internet for the idiopathic dry eyes.

Dr. Holly is the founder and first president of the International Society of Dakryology as well as the Dry Eye Institute. In 1993 he received the Lacrima Award in Madrid, Spain for outstanding contributions to lacrimal physiology. He is the author of one hundred and ten articles and editor of several book treatises.

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