PURPOSE: Dry eye disease (DED) is a chronic, multifactorial condition of the ocular surface characterized by loss of tear film homeostasis that impacts 5-15% of the US population. The discomfort and visual inconsistency of DED may interfere with activities of everyday living such as reading, driving, and the use of screens/monitors, ultimately impacting the quality of life (QoL) and well- being of the individual. Perflurohexyloctane (PFHO) ophthalmic solution is used to treat the signs and symptoms of DED directly targeting excessive tear evaporation. This study evaluated the patient-reported clinical symptoms in patients treated with PFHO.

METHODS: Patients ≥21 years with ≥1 prescription of PFHO between November 2025 – May 2026 in the Veradigm Network EHR linked to administrative claims were identified. Index treatment was defined as initial prescription of PFHO as the first EHR record with no evidence of PFHO in the 6-month baseline period. Patient outcome surveys were administered at baseline, week 2 and week 4 following PFHO prescription. Primary endpoints included (1) Ocular Surface Disease Index (OSDI) scores comprising of ocular symptoms, vision-related functioning and environmental triggers and (2) Visual Analog Scale (VAS) symptoms comprising eye dryness, burning/stinging, eye itching, light sensitivity, eye pain, eye tiredness, eye irritation and blurred vision. Change from baseline to each of the two follow-up periods for both endpoints. Statistical significance was set at p<0.05.

RESULTS: 111 patients at baseline [90.1% female; mean (SD) age 64.3(12.9) years), 77.5% white, 92.8% non-Hispanic] had a new prescription for PFHO during study period 68.2% patients with a cataract diagnosis(n=66) had underwent a cataract surgery at baseline, 86.4% patients had at least one OTC drug for DED symptoms while 99% had at least one prescription drug in the past year for DED. OSDI total mean (SD) score decreased significantly from 46.4 (21.9) to 33.1 (20.6) at week 2 (n=61), while mean (SD) OSDI total score decreased significantly from 44.0 (21.2) to 29.5(18.8) at week 4 (n=60). Significant reductions in patient-reported severity were observed for all symptoms at all post-baseline assessments (P < 0.001) using VAS scale.

CONCLUSION: In this real-world cohort, treatment with PFHO was associated with significant and early reductions in patient-reported dry eye symptom severity over a 4-week period. Improvements in OSDI total scores, observed as early as week 2 and sustained through week 4, alongside consistent reductions across all VAS symptom domains, indicate decreased symptom burden and enhanced vision-related functioning in a real-world setting. These findings support the effectiveness of PFHO in alleviating symptoms of dry eye disease, highlighting its potential to improve patient quality of life and daily visual function.