Q&A: Retrospective study finds nearly doubled tear break-up time with lubricating drop

Piotr Wozniak, MD, a refractive surgeon and dry eye specialist at Tiger Eye Healthcare Clinic in Warsaw, Poland, presented a retrospective real-world evidence study at the European Dry Eye Society (EDES) Congress in Milan, Italy, evaluating clinical outcomes, utilization patterns, and practitioner satisfaction with a dry eye lubricating drop.

Much of the existing clinical trial data for dry eye disease comes from tightly controlled settings that may not fully capture how patients respond to treatment once therapies move into routine clinical use. Real-world evidence studies aim to close that gap, and Wozniak's work looks specifically at how the product performs across a broader, less-selected patient population, with attention to both symptom relief and objective measures of ocular surface stability.

The study incorporated data from more than 50 patient cases, along with a satisfaction survey completed by six eye care practitioners across multiple countries. Wozniak describes the work as an ongoing effort, with additional practitioners and cases expected to be added over time. Central to the findings is the product's multi-component formulation, which includes lipids, an approach Wozniak says addresses the evaporative component common to many dry eye presentations rather than only providing transient symptom relief.

Among the early results, Wozniak reports that the treatment nearly doubled tear break-up time, with rapid stabilization of the ocular surface observed following treatment initiation. He notes particular relevance for patients undergoing cataract and refractive surgery, where ocular surface integrity has direct implications for visual outcomes, as well as for contact lens wearers.

Wozniak sat down with Ophthalmology Times Europe to discuss the study's design and findings in more detail, how lubricating drops are being used in practice around surgical procedures, and what other research presented at this year's congress stood out to him.

Can you start by walking us through your study? What did you set out to look at, and what did you find?

Piotr A. Woźniak, MD, PhD: The core focus of our presentation at the Congress was to evaluate the clinical performance through the lens of the patients. In today's practice, bridging the gap between controlled clinical trials and actual day-to-day patient outcomes is absolutely critical. So we wanted to look closely at the unmet needs in dry eye, and specifically how we can better manage symptom severity and the drivers of patient populations outside the strictly controlled trials environment.

Six eyecare practitioners across several countries also completed a satisfaction survey as part of this study. What did that side of the data tell you?

Woźniak: We are still looking for more. This is just the beginning of our journey with this study, and we are looking for more practitioners to join our study. As far as I know now, we have more than 50 cases all around. And we all know that dry eye is a complex, multifactorial condition, and it's very often with a significant evaporative component. The product is formulated with multiple components, so it includes the [unclear], but also lipids. And our real-world evidence demonstrates that this comprehensive mechanism doesn't just briefly mask the symptoms, but it actually stabilizes the film, and provided sustained relief that patients we are looking for.

Your survey data also looked at how practitioners are actually using lubricating drops with their dry eye patients, for example around cataract surgery or in contact lens wearers. What did you learn about how these drops are being used in practice that might have surprised you, or that you think other clinicians should know?

Woźniak: The findings are highly applicable for any modern ophthalmological practice. In our premium clinical settings, especially when we're seeing patients undergoing refractive surgery, the integrity of the surface dictates the final visual outcome. For me, the most important thing that we found out was that we can stabilize the ocular surface very fast. So the effect of the treatment was very fast, and that's what we see in the results. As I told you, these results are very preliminary and we are looking for more, but as far as we can see, we almost doubled the break-up time, which is a fantastic achievement.

Stepping back from your own presentation, was there a talk or piece of research from this year's Dry Eye Society Congress that might have stood out to you, or that's changed how you're thinking about your own practice?

Woźniak: That's a very tough question. It was a very good meeting. For me, it's always about getting new knowledge. We learned a lot about ocular pain and new treatments. These are maybe not our most common patients in our clinics, however these are the patients that really suffer. And to be honest, we don't have only one good way of treatment — there is not a single answer to the needs. It was great, lots of high-quality presentations, lots of new science. As far as I know, more than 700 people attended, and it's always nice to mingle with other specialists to discuss surface problems, because we are now in front of computers, and digital screens are one of the most common of our problems.

Watch the full interview here.