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Darrell E White,1 Yang Zhao,2 Hemalatha Jayapalan,3 Pattabhi Machiraju,3 Ramu Periyasamy,3 Abayomi Ogundele2 1SkyVision Centers, Westlake, OH, USA; 2Medical Affairs, Sun Pharmaceutical Industries, Princeton, NJ, USA; 3Medical Services, Indegene, Inc, Bangalore, IndiaCorrespondence: Abayomi OgundeleMedical Affairs, Sun Pharmaceutical Industries, Inc, 2 Independence Way, Princeton, NJ 08540, USAEmail abayomi.ogundele@sunpharma.comPurpose: Dry eye disease (DED) is one of the most common ophthalmic disorders. Pathogenesis of the disease includes inflammation of the ocular surface and lacrimal gland. Two anti-inflammatory prescription treatments are currently available: cyclosporine ophthalmic emulsion 0.05% (CYC) and lifitegrast 5% ophthalmic solution (LIF). The objective of this survey-based study was to assess physician satisfaction with CYC and LIF for the treatment of DED.Methods: Physicians currently treating DED patients with CYC or LIF were asked to rate the experiences of their patients currently or formerly using CYC and LIF, and their own perspectives on the two treatments.Results: Twenty-one physicians participated in the survey, providing responses on behalf of 210 patients. Overall, physicians reported low levels of satisfaction with onset of action of CYC and LIF, and fewer than half considered either drug to be effective in managing symptoms or improving patient quality of life (QoL). Burning sensation and dysgeusia were the most frequently reported side effects. Onset of action and effectiveness after onset were the main switching drivers. Although two-thirds of physicians were satisfied with the overall effectiveness of CYC and LIF, all physicians agreed that more DED treatment options are needed, with > 50% strongly agreeing.Conclusion: Physicians perceived a gap in DED management with currently available topical anti-inflammatory agents. Although satisfaction with CYC and LIF was high, few physicians considered these medications to be effective in managing symptoms or improving QoL.Keywords: physician satisfaction, dry eye disease, cyclosporine, lifitegrast, ocular surface

Darrell E White,1 Yang Zhao,2 Hemalatha Jayapalan,3 Pattabhi Machiraju,3 Ramu Periyasamy,3 Abayomi Ogundele2 1SkyVision Centers, Westlake, OH, USA; 2Sun Pharmaceutical Industries, Inc., Princeton, NJ, USA; 3Indegene, Inc., Bangalore, IndiaCorrespondence: Abayomi OgundeleMedical Affairs, Sun Pharmaceutical Industries, Inc., 2 Independence Way, Princeton, NJ 08540, USAEmail abayomi.ogundele@sunpharma.comPurpose: To assess patient satisfaction among current and former users of the anti-inflammatory topical medications, cyclosporine A 0.05% (CYC) and lifitegrast 5.0% (LIF), for the management of dry eye disease (DED).Patients and Methods: Patients with DED were recruited via physician referral to participate in a survey. Current users of CYC or LIF were asked to rate their experience in terms of satisfaction, side effects, and limitation of activities. Switchers of CYC to LIF or LIF to CYC were asked to rate the importance of potential reasons for switching.Results: Surveys were completed by 207 patients currently treated with CYC (n=98), LIF (n=96), or other DED medications (n=13). Although overall satisfaction with current treatment was high, current users of CYC and LIF reported ineffective relief of DED symptoms (31% and 22%, respectively) and dissatisfaction with the time to onset of effect (29% and 11%). Substantial proportions of patients reported ‘sometimes’, “usually”, or ‘always’ experiencing the following side effects: burning sensation (72% CYC, 64% LIF), itching (43% CYC, 44% LIF), altered sensation of taste (21% CYC, 56% LIF), blurred vision (37% CYC, 50% LIF), and discharge (28% CYC, 30% LIF). Of the 30 switchers of CYC to LIF and 31 switchers of LIF to CYC, the majority reported inability to relieve DED symptoms as a very or extremely important switching reason. Despite switching, one in four patients were somewhat dissatisfied or dissatisfied with their current medication, with 37% of patients reporting ineffective symptom relief.Conclusion: Although the rate of overall satisfaction was generally high with both LIF and CYC, many patients were unable to achieve effective symptom relief and commonly experienced side effects. The proportion of patients who were dissatisfied and/or unable to achieve effective symptom relief even after switching suggests the need for additional treatment options for managing DED.Keywords: patient satisfaction, dry eye disease, cyclosporine, lifitegrast, ocular surface