ASCRS 2025: Jason Bacharach, MD, on early-onset efficacy with perfluorohexyloctane in dry eye

Perfluorohexyloctane may offer a fast-acting option for dry eye symptom relief, showing measurable benefits within minutes of application, explained Jason Bacharach, MD, who presented findings on the agent’s early efficacy at the 2025 American Society of Cataract and Refractive meeting, held April 25 to 28 in Los Angeles, California.

“One of the presentations that I gave here regarding its really quick efficacy in terms of its ability to provide symptom relief for patients in a really efficient and really fast onset,” Bacharach said.

The data stem from a phase 3 clinical trial evaluating symptom relief at multiple early time points—beginning just 5 minutes post-dose. “What we found was almost a 50% improvement at 5 minutes after dosing that continued to improve at each and every time point,” he noted. Improvements were noted not only in itching, redness, and burning, but also in patient-perceived clarity of vision.

“This, I believe, was one of the fastest onset benefit studies for a topical dry eye therapy that has been reported to date,” Bacharach said. Although no active comparator was used, he emphasized that such early measurement of efficacy is rare in dry eye trials. “When you look at many of the controlled studies, really the first time points that have been measured are day 7 or day 3, in some cases,” he said, making this a standout in terms of rapid onset.

In practice, he sees broad utility: “I use it as both a first-line agent and an adjunctive agent to other therapies.” Given its fast action and positive patient response, perfluorohexyloctane may become an important new tool for addressing the full range of dry eye symptomatology.