Vital Tears
Vital Tears is a U.S. specialty laboratory company that prepares autologous serum eye drops from patients' own blood, coordinating prescriptions from eye care providers through a nationwide blood collection and 48-hour delivery network for ocular surface disease patients.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2015
- HeadquartersKansas, United States
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What Vital Tears does
Vital Tears is a U.S. specialty laboratory company that processes and distributes autologous serum eye drops made from a patient's own blood serum for the treatment of ocular surface disease. Founded in 2015 and headquartered in Kansas City, Missouri, the company serves patients with severe dry eye, neurotrophic keratitis, Sjögren's syndrome-related dry eye, and post-surgical ocular surface conditions by acting as the operational intermediary between prescribing eye care providers (ophthalmologists and optometrists) and a nationwide blood collection and delivery infrastructure. Eye care providers register through the company's online Provider Portal, prescribe serum tears according to patient-specific concentration and dosing specifications, and Vital Tears coordinates the entire downstream workflow including blood draw scheduling, processing, quality control, and direct-to-patient shipment of finished eye drops.
At the core of the offering is a proprietary, standardized quality-controlled medical laboratory process that converts patient blood serum into customized, preservative-free autologous eye drops. The operational footprint includes a single in-house medical laboratory at the Kansas City headquarters and a nationwide network of more than 400 contracted blood collection facilities, supplemented by a mobile phlebotomy service for at-home blood draws. The platform integrates an online Provider Portal (portal.vitaltears.org) for registration, prescription ordering, account management, and order tracking, supported by a dedicated Patient Services team that coordinates scheduling, payment, and delivery logistics. The company commits to a 48-hour turnaround from blood draw to delivery anywhere in the continental United States, with finished product shipped cold or frozen directly to patients' homes or offices.
Vital Tears operates a B2B2C revenue model in which each patient prescription flows through the company's laboratory and distribution infrastructure. Pricing is set per treatment plan based on physician-ordered concentration and dosing, with services primarily delivered on a self-pay basis; the company provides claim forms and reimbursement documentation to support patients seeking partial reimbursement from insurance payers. Customer acquisition is enterprise field-sales-driven, targeting eye care providers through dedicated sales representatives, clinical education resources (provider information packets, case studies), and exhibition presence at major U.S. ophthalmology and optometry conferences including AAO, ASCRS, American Academy of Optometry, and regional society meetings. The company is a privately held Missouri LLC, does not disclose revenue, pricing specifics, or external funding rounds, and operates without a publicly identified parent company or institutional investor.
Vital Tears firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Vital Tears
- Legal name
- Vital Tears LLC
- Website
- https://vitaltears.org
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2015
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- Vital Tears is a U.S. specialty laboratory company that prepares autologous serum eye drops from patients' own blood, coordinating prescriptions from eye care providers through a nationwide blood collection and 48-hour delivery network for ocular surface disease patients.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Vital Tears industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Ophthalmic Compounding Services
- NAICS
- Medical Equipment and Supplies Manufacturing (3391)
- SIC
- Services-Medical Laboratories (8071)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Transfusion Medicine & Immunohematology (Blood Bank) (HLAFAMAG)
Keywords
Where Vital Tears is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Kansas
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
Vital Tears business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Supply Chain, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Serum Tears Prescription Processing: Revenue generated from processing autologous serum eye drops prescribed by eye care providers. Cost is based on treatment plan ordered by the doctor. Generally self-pay service, though some insurance companies reimburse when patients submit claims.
- Insurance Reimbursement Support: While Vital Tears is primarily a self-pay service, the company provides insurance claim forms and support documentation to help patients submit claims for potential reimbursement from their insurance providers.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Treatment plan based pricing |
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels3 records
Marketing channels5 records
Vital Tears product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Vital Tears prepares autologous serum eye drops made from a patient's own blood serum in a medical laboratory using a proprietary quality-controlled processing system. Eye care providers (ophthalmologists and optometrists) prescribe customized serum tears that are produced to physician-specified concentration and dosage, then shipped to patients anywhere in the United States in as little as 48 hours after the blood draw. The company coordinates the entire workflow including provider ordering, blood collection logistics, laboratory processing, and direct patient delivery.
Product overview
Vital Tears offers a single core product: autologous serum eye drops made from a patient's own blood serum. The service is delivered through an integrated platform combining the Provider Portal (for order management and provider registration), a nationwide network of over 400 blood collection facilities plus mobile phlebotomy services, and Patient Services coordination for scheduling, payment, and delivery. Educational resources including the Provider Information Packet and Clinical Education Materials support provider adoption and clinical decision-making.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Vital Tears Autologous Serum Eye Drops Customized autologous eye drops made from a patient's own blood serum, prepared in Vital Tears' medical laboratory using a proprietary quality-controlled processing system, and delivered to patients anywhere in the United States in as little as 48 hours after blood draw. Preservative-free and produced at physician-specified concentration and dosage.
- Vital Tears Provider Portal Online portal that enables eye care providers to register, place orders for serum tears, manage doctor accounts, locate blood collection facilities, and track patient orders.
- Vital Tears Mobile Phlebotomy Service
- Vital Tears Blood Collection Facility Network
Quantifiable outcome
- Serum tears delivered in as little as 48 hours after blood draw, regardless of patient location in the United States
- +2 more outcomes
Companies that use Vital Tears
Customer profileNamed customers2 records
Segments2 records
Ideal customer profiles2 records
Vital Tears technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature3 records
Vital Tears partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Two partnerships are on record, tiered core.
- Blood Collection Facilities NetworkcoreOver 400 contracted blood collection facilities throughout the United States that perform blood draws for Vital Tears patients. These facilities are part of the essential supply chain enabling nationwide serum tear delivery within 48 hours of blood draw.
- Mobile Phlebotomy ServicecoreMobile phlebotomy service partner enabling at-home blood draws for patients who prefer not to visit a collection facility or have limited access to contracted facilities.
Scale indicators4 records
Recent moves5 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Vital Tears competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- ImprimisRx (Harrow Health): ImprimisRx is/was one of the largest US compounding pharmacies, historically producing and distributing autologous serum eye drops across the US as a direct competitor to Vital Tears using a similar ophthalmologist-prescribed, compounded-from-patient-blood model.
- Harrow Health: Parent of ImprimisRx; Harrow Health operated in the ophthalmic pharmaceutical compounding space and competed directly with Vital Tears in autologous serum tear preparation and distribution prior to its strategic shift toward branded ophthalmic drugs.
Broad incumbents
- Bausch + Lomb: Major ophthalmic company with a broad eye-care portfolio including artificial tears (Soothe, TheraTears) and prescription ophthalmics; competes for the same dry-eye and ocular surface disease prescriber attention and OTC patient spend as Vital Tears.
- Allergan (AbbVie): Marketer of Restasis (cyclosporine ophthalmic) and other ocular surface disease treatments; competes for prescriber mindshare and patient spend in dry-eye disease where Vital Tears is positioned.
- Alcon: World's largest dedicated ophthalmic company with broad portfolio across dry eye, surgical, and vision care; competes for the same prescriber audience as Vital Tears and represents a logical strategic acquirer for direct-to-patient chronic-care infrastructure.
Emerging players
- Ocular Therapeutix: Clinical-stage ophthalmic company developing sustained-release drug delivery for ocular surface disease and adjacent indications; overlaps with Vital Tears' prescriber base and dry-eye / ocular surface disease therapeutic area.
- Aldeyra Therapeutics: Clinical-stage biotech developing novel treatments for ocular surface disease (dry eye); competes for the same prescriber recommendations and patient populations that Vital Tears addresses via autologous serum tears.
- Nicox: European ophthalmic company focused on ocular surface disease therapeutics; adjacent in target indication and competing for prescriber and patient attention in dry eye, though primarily operating in European markets.
Others
- TheraTears: Brand of artificial tears (Bausch + Lomb) targeting dry-eye patients; provides the OTC self-pay alternative for patients who decline or cannot access autologous serum tears, establishing the price/value reference point against which Vital Tears must justify premium pricing.
- Avella Specialty Pharmacy: Specialty and compounding pharmacy that prepares and dispenses autologous serum tears and other ophthalmic compounds; competes at the compounding-pharmacy end of the serum-tears market and offers an alternative distribution channel for prescribers.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Vital Tears social profiles
Digital presenceVital Tears financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Vital Tears leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles9 records
Vital Tears funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Vital Tears M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Vital Tears
What does Vital Tears do?
Vital Tears prepares autologous serum eye drops made from a patient's own blood serum in a medical laboratory using a proprietary quality-controlled processing system. Eye care providers (ophthalmologists and optometrists) prescribe customized serum tears that are produced to physician-specified concentration and dosage, then shipped to patients anywhere in the United States in as little as 48 hours after the blood draw. The company coordinates the entire workflow including provider ordering, blood collection logistics, laboratory processing, and direct patient delivery.
Is Vital Tears a public or private company?
Vital Tears is a private company. It is classified as management employee owned and is currently operating.
When was Vital Tears founded?
Vital Tears was founded in 2015. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is Vital Tears based?
Vital Tears is headquartered in Kansas, United States, in the North America region.
How does Vital Tears make money?
Two revenue lines are on record. Serum Tears Prescription Processing is the primary driver. The others are insurance Reimbursement Support.
Who are Vital Tears's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are ImprimisRx (Harrow Health) and Harrow Health. Broad incumbents are Bausch + Lomb, Allergan (AbbVie) and Alcon. Emerging players are Ocular Therapeutix, Aldeyra Therapeutics and Nicox. Others are TheraTears and Avella Specialty Pharmacy.
Does Vital Tears have an API?
No public API is recorded for Vital Tears.
What industry is Vital Tears in?
Vital Tears's product category is Ophthalmic Compounding Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is HLAFAMAG, Transfusion Medicine & Immunohematology (Blood Bank). Its NAICS code is 3391 and its SIC code is 8071.