AAOpt 2026: Patient-reported blurred vision improvement with Vevye

Eric Schmidt, OD, FAAO, Chief Medical Officer for Kepler Vision and a practicing eye specialist, presents findings from his poster “Patient-Reported Blurred Vision Improvement with Cyclosporine 0.1%/PFBP in Dry Eye Disease with Severe Central Corneal Staining: Phase 3 Pool" at AAOpt 2026 in Anaheim, California. His presentation focuses on a new analysis of data from an earlier Phase 3 dry-eye study—not a new clinical trial. The original study evaluated a twice-daily eye drop containing 0.1% cyclosporine and found it non-inferior to its vehicle for treating dry-eye signs and symptoms. Schmidt says the original trial collected information that was not specifically addressed in its initial analysis, and the poster revisits some of that data.

The main focus is central corneal staining, which Schmidt describes as an important contributor to degraded and fluctuating vision. He notes that people with moderate or more severe dry eye may have vision several lines below 20/20. The re-analysis examined results across 14 patient subgroups, including categories based on race, age, disease severity and duration, and comorbidities. Schmidt reports that central corneal staining improved and emphasizes that larger subgroups tended to produce more statistically significant results. He interprets this as evidence that the findings are not simply due to small-sample variation, while acknowledging that some patients may not respond.

The presentation also highlights patients’ own assessments of their vision. The original study used a visual analog score to ask participants how their vision had changed, including after 29 days of treatment. Schmidt says patients reported meaningful visual improvement across all 14 subgroups. He also describes improvements in practical activities that matter to patients, such as wearing contact lenses and using a computer without visual disturbance. He notes that statistical significance varied across subgroup analyses: seven groups initially reached significance, while, as he describes the results, all 14 ultimately did.

Schmidt’s clinical takeaway is that clinicians may see improvements in central corneal staining within about 29 days of twice-daily use. He proposes further research specifically involving contact-lens-related dryness, a question he says this analysis did not directly answer. Finally, he suggests the cyclosporine-containing drop may be worth considering as an immunomodulatory option for severe staining, potentially reducing reliance on steroids for some patients—particularly those with steroid sensitivity or steroid-associated increases in intraocular pressure. These are the presenter’s interpretations and proposed implications of the subgroup findings.