Xiidra from Shire Pharmaceuticals is prescriotion eye drop for the treatment of inflammatory dry eye.

Dry eye disease is a condition that affects 10-15 percent of all Americans. The optometry community is excited to have another option for it's treatment.  

Read the FDA statement here.

The effectivy of Xiidra was confirmed in a double blind study of thousands of patients ages 19-97 compared against a placebo treatment.

Xiidra is not yet covered by Medicare or other vision and medical insurances.

How Effective is Xiidra?

In clinical trials, the most common adverse reactions reported in 5-25% of patients were instillation site irritation, dysgeusia and reduced visual acuity. Other adverse reactions reported in 1% to 5% of the patients were blurred vision, conjunctival hyperemia, eye irritation, headache, increased lacrimation, eye discharge, eye discomfort, eye pruritus and sinusitis.

How to Use Xiidra Properly?

The most important step you need to follow is to use Xiidra as your doctor tells you, beyond that here are a couple of tips:

• Contact lenses should be removed prior to the administration of Xiidra and may be reinserted 15 minutes following administration.

• Use 1 drop of Xiidra in each eye, 2 times each day, about 12 hours apart.

• Use Xiidra right away after opening. Throw away the single-use container and any unused solution after you have applied the dose to both eyes. Do not save any unused Xiidra for later.

• To avoid the potential for eye injury or contamination of the solution, patients should not touch the tip of the single-use container to their eye or to any surface.

For more advice on properly using your Xiidra Prescription you can watch following video or click here to download the “How to Use Xiidra” pdf.

Important Safety Information

Do not use Xiidra if you are allergic to any of its ingredients. Seek medical care immediately if you get any symptoms of an allergic reaction.

The most common side effects of Xiidra include eye irritation, discomfort or blurred vision when the drops are applied to the eyes, and an unusual taste sensation.

It is not known if Xiidra is safe and effective in children under 17 years of age.

For additional safety information, click here for Full Prescribing Information and Patient Information and discuss with your doctor.

You are encouraged to report negative side effects of prescription drugs to the FDA. Visit http://www.fda.gov/medwatch, or call 1-800-FDA-1088.