Why carry out this study?

Diquafosol is a P2Y2 receptor agonist that is approved for the treatment of dry eye disease (DED) in Japan.

Short-term treatment with diquafosol was effective and safe in a prospective, observational, post-marketing study.

Objective findings do not always correlate with subjective symptoms in patients with DED, and determining the treatment effects based on subjective symptoms in a real-world setting may be of great clinical significance.

The aim of this study was to evaluate the safety and effectiveness of long-term diquafosol in the real-world setting, including the effect on Dry Eye-related Quality of Life Score (DEQS).

What was learned from the study?

During the 12-month observational period, the incidence of adverse drug reactions (ADRs) was 10.7% without any serious ADRs, and significant improvements in keratoconjunctival fluorescein staining score, tear film break-up time and DEQS were observed.

Patient-reported outcomes such as DEQS represent better criteria for evaluating the effectiveness of DED therapies than objective parameters.

Long-term diquafosol treatment is safe and effective.