Impacting an estimated 40 million people within the United States, ocular surface disease (OSD) is a long-time battle for sufferers of the disease. Because of increasing screen time and an aging population this number will only continue to grow. Currently, only one million people are utilizing prescription therapy for their dry eye in the US.
The discrepancy between those suffering from this disease and those treating it has many plausible explanations. The patient does not recognize their symptoms as dry eye and providers do not understand the significance of this disease’s impact on patients' daily activities. Many practitioners who do not treat the disease seriously have not acknowledged the direct connection between a compromised ocular surface and less than ideal surgical outcomes. Patients are quick to quit therapy due to their delayed response to treatment, and providers see the treatment as time-consuming and burdensome.
The last decade has seen many innovations in dry eye management, but one product has shown rapid, sustainable, patient-reported symptom relief. Miebo (perfluorhexaloctane [PFHO]) is a preservative-free, water-free, topical medication approved for the treatment of dry eye. PFHO forms a long-lasting barrier at the tear film interface to prevent tear evaporation.
A study I co-authored focused on how the medication might improve dry eye symptoms. Positive patient results were recorded in as little as five minutes, with the study following up with patients after 14 days. Eight significant symptoms were assessed at multiple time points using a visual analog scale. Uniquely, we asked each subject to identify their most bothersome symptom and evaluate how quickly they experienced relief. By the third day, a 40 percent reduction in the “most bothersome symptom” (i.e., eye dryness) was noted, with this figure increasing to 55 percent by day 14. Over 85 percent of the subjects responded clinically, meaning that they experienced a reduction in symptoms greater than or equal to 30 percent, while 90 percent of patients reported satisfaction with the treatment by day fourteen.
Earlier research has also focused on findings starting on the 14th day, which is when the first follow-up visit occurred to collect outcomes. Considering both of these studies, it is apparent that Miebo is an effective treatment that provides patients with positive results early and remains consistent through day 60.
Looking back at the aforementioned studies, it appears that Miebo has consistently provided patients with symptom relief, and the drop could have a significant impact on the way physicians target evaporative OSD in the future. Not only could this quick, effective treatment improve patient compliance, but it may also minimize providers’ hesitation to initiate therapy for evaporative dry eye. The implementation of Miebo could potentially help to improve dry eye patient results, and provide a proven course of treatment for physicians looking to relieve patient symptoms.
