Abstract
Purpose :
Dry Eye Disease (DED) is a symptomatic, chronic inflammatory disease. Most DED patients are thought to suffer from episodic exacerbations of their signs and symptoms (DED flares). However, very limited clinical data and patient insights exist on DED flares in the literature. We collected and analysed real-world patient insights into DED flares from unsolicited, self-reported and publicly available online data sources using internet technology driven data collection approaches from a 15-year period.
Methods :
Real-world data patient- and HCP-reported information (English language) were collected from 2005 to 2020. Collected and analyzed patient experiences included DED flares symptoms, comorbid conditions, treatment usage, lifestyle behaviors and quality of life impact using an array of keywords associated with DED flares and a combination of technology driven approaches like natural language processing, machine learning, artificial intelligence (AI) and manual curation techniques used to standardize patient reports from real world data. SPEC-R (Social, Physical, Emotional, Cognitive and Role activity), an analytical framework was used to categorize functional impairments and symptoms from unstructured patient, caregiver and provider narratives.
Results :
A total of 116,450 internet posts about DED flares and a population of 12,743 patient profiles were identified, collected and analysed from 75 data sources during the 15-year period. The identified DED flare patient population was predominately female (88%) and fell between the ages of 35 and 70 (86%). The most reported symptoms associated with reported DED flares were eye discomfort, pain and redness. Majority (78%) of the patients suffered DED flare resurgence within 2 months suggesting an annual occurrence of ~6 flares. Allergy and depression were most mentioned comorbidities and laser in-situ keratomileusis (LASIK) was the most common trigger for DED flares. SPEC-R analysis revealed that social and family life, work and the ability to concentrate were impacted the most by DED flares
Conclusions :
This novel approach to collect a multitude of patient-reported, real-world insights revealed a wealth of data, which may help improving diagnosis, treatment and patient education on DED flares and quality of life.
This is a 2021 ARVO Annual Meeting abstract.