FAQ

Xiidra (lifitegrast ophthalmic solution) 5% is a prescription eye drop used to treat the signs and symptoms of dry eye disease. Please click About Xiidra for more info.

If you wear contact lenses, remove before using Xiidra and wait 15 minutes before placing them back in your eyes.

Eligible commercially insured patients may pay as little as $0 on their first 90-day prescription and as little as $0 for each refill with a Xiidra Savings Card. Please click Cost & Savings for more info.

Xiidra may start to deliver long-term symptom relief for some patients in just two weeks, with continued twice-daily use.*

• Xiidra is a prescription eye drop used to treat the signs and symptoms of dry eye disease.
• *In clinical studies, Xiidra reduced symptoms of eye dryness at 2 weeks in 2 out of 4 studies, with improvements observed at 6 and 12 weeks in all 4 studies.
• Results may vary. Some people noticed symptom improvement at 2 weeks in clinical studies, while others needed more time.
• Keep using Xiidra as prescribed and talk to your eye doctor if you do not notice improvement or if your symptoms worsen.
• Please click About Xiidra for more info.

Please click About Xiidra for more info.

Yes! Xiidra is covered for nearly 7 out of 10^† patients with Medicare prescription coverage. Please click Cost & Savings for more info.

^†Based on MMIT data from January 2026. Up to 79% of commercial and 70% of Medicare Part D patients may be covered.

The most common side effects of Xiidra are usually mild to moderate and related to the eyes or taste.

• The most common side effects include eye irritation, discomfort, or blurred vision when the drops are applied to the eyes, and an unusual taste sensation.
• These are not all the possible side effects of Xiidra.
• Seek medical care immediately if you get any symptoms of wheezing, difficulty breathing, or a swollen tongue, as these may be signs of a serious allergic reaction.
• Talk to your eye doctor about any side effects that bother you or do not go away so you can decide together if Xiidra is still the right treatment for you.

Many of the common side effects of Xiidra are temporary and may improve over time.

• The most common side effects include eye irritation, discomfort, or blurred vision when the drops are applied, and unusual taste sensation.
• These side effects are typically temporary and may lessen as your eyes adjust to treatment.
• If side effects are severe, do not improve, or you are worried about them, speak with your eye doctor before stopping Xiidra.
• Seek urgent medical care if you experience symptoms like wheezing, difficulty breathing, or a swollen tongue.

Yes. Please reach out to your eye care doctor to see if Xiidra is right for you.

Some patients may experience blurry vision and headaches. In clinical studies, these adverse reactions were experienced in 1% - 5% of patients taking Xiidra. Experiencing dizziness may be a possible side effect with Xiidra in certain patients. Stop taking Xiidra and seek medical care right away if you experience symptoms of an allergic reaction, including difficulty breathing or swallowing or swollen tongue.

Xiidra targets a source of inflammation that can cause chronic dry eye.
Please click About Xiidra for more info.

In a study, a total of nine (9) of the 47 patients (19%) had blood concentrations of lifitegrast above 0.5 ng/mL (the lower limit of assay quantitation). Overall, there was no evidence of accumulation of lifitegrast in blood plasma over the course of the study, with most concentrations below the limit of detection on days 180 and 360.

Xiidra is a sterile, clear colorless to slight brownish-yellow eye drop solution. Xiidra contains Active: lifitegrast 50 mg/mL; Inactives: sodium chloride, sodium phosphate dibasic anhydrous, sodium thiosulfate pentahydrate, sodium hydroxide and/or hydrochloric acid (to adjust pH) and water for injection.

Yes! Please click About Xiidra to see Julie’s testimonial.

Xiidra is used to treat the signs and symptoms of dry eye disease, but some people may notice temporary eye discomfort when using the drops.

• Xiidra (lifitegrast ophthalmic solution) 5% is an eye drop used to treat the signs and symptoms of dry eye disease.
• The most common side effects include eye irritation, discomfort, or blurred vision when the drops are applied, and an unusual taste sensation; these are typically temporary and may improve over time.
• Rarely, patients can experience a hypersensitivity reaction, which may include eye swelling and/or a skin rash around the eyes.
• Contact your doctor right away if your eyes feel significantly worse or seek immediate medical care if you develop symptoms of a serious reaction.

No! Xiidra is a nonsteroid anti-inflammatory prescription medication.

If you wear contact lenses and have dry eye, you may be familiar with dry, tired eyes and end‑of‑day dryness. Xiidra is a prescription eye drop indicated for the treatment of the signs and symptoms of dry eye disease and offers long‑term dry eye symptom relief.¹

In pivotal studies, Xiidra was shown to, on average, reduce dry eye symptoms (what you can feel) at 6 and 12 weeks and reduce signs of dry eye (what your doctor can see) at week 12 in some patients (in 3 out of 4 studies).¹ In a post-marketing study, patients who wore contact lenses and took Xiidra experienced a decrease in end-of-day eye discomfort and dryness and an increase in comfortable lens wear time as early as 2 weeks.^2*

^*Overall wear time was not increased but comfortable wear time was increased by 1.5 hours by 2 weeks and 2.5 hours by 6 and 12 weeks.

Safety Findings: Two adverse events related to Xiidra were reported, including increased tearing (fully resolved upon treatment discontinuation) and periorbital eyelid dryness (fully resolved). There were occasional reports of unfamiliar taste and instillation site irritation, which were not classified as adverse events.

Study Design: Soft contact lens wearers with dryness symptoms at study start (n=40) all received Xiidra twice a day for 12 weeks. Participants were instructed to remove their contact lenses prior to instillation of Xiidra and wait 15 minutes prior to placing the lenses back in their eyes.

Study Limitation: This was a single-center, open label study with no control treatment arm. Data are based on descriptive statistics and should be interpreted with caution. All participants had to have used artificial tears or rewetting drops at least once in the month prior to study start; only 30% of participants had used these eye drops twice per day (Xiidra dosing frequency), while the remaining 70% either had to increase (62%) or decrease (8%) their daily dosing frequency during the study. It is possible that the more frequent use of Xiidra as compared to previous drops could have contributed to the reduction in symptoms in some participants.

Reference: 1. Xiidra. Prescribing Information. Bausch & Lomb Inc. 2. Schulze MM, Guthrie SE, Ho B, Woods J, Jones L. A Clinical Evaluation of Lifitegrast Ophthalmic Solution 5% in Symptomatic Contact Lens Wearers. Clin Ophthalmol. 2025;19:3033-3049. Published 2025 Aug 29. doi:10.2147/OPTH.S538184

Xiidra has been shown to help improve the health of the eye’s surface shown through reduced corneal staining.¹ In 3 out of 4 studies, people using Xiidra showed less irritation and damage on the lower part of the eye after 12 weeks compared to those not using Xiidra.¹

Reference: 1. Xiidra. Prescribing Information. Bausch & Lomb Inc.

If you have dry eye and are scheduled for cataract surgery, Xiidra delivered relief before and after cataract surgery in a post-marketing study.^3*  In a multicenter, prospective study of 100 eyes and 100 patients, Xiidra was observed to deliver symptom relief before and after cataract surgery.³ Moreover, treating dry eye using Xiidra helps reduce inflammation and improves the ocular surface, which can help your doctor get more reliable and accurate measurements for your new intraocular lens.³

In pivotal studies, Xiidra was shown to, on average, reduce dry eye symptoms (what you can feel) at 6 and 12 weeks and reduce signs of dry eye (what your doctor can see) at week 12 in some patients (in 3 out of 4 studies).

EDS, Eye Dryness Score; ICSS, Inferior Fluorescein Corneal Staining Score

Study Design: A multicenter, prospective, open-label study of 100 eyes of 100 patients who were diagnosed with dry eye disease before cataract surgery. Biometry measurements were taken before surgery prior to treatment with Xiidra and again after a 28-day treatment regimen with Xiidra twice daily. The primary outcome was an improvement in the accuracy of preoperative anterior corneal power measurements at predicting postoperative spherical equivalent before and after Xiidra treatment. Secondary outcomes included changes in dry eye symptoms, as measured by SPEED scores, and dry eye signs such as corneal staining.

Study Limitations: There was an unexplained noncompliance rate with the first course of lifitegrast of almost 20%. While reasons for discontinuation were not collected formally, anecdotal reports from patients suggested that discomfort with drop instillation was the main reason for discontinuation. Additionally, some patients did not return for their 1-month postoperative follow-up exam; however, 58 patients were enough to generate a statistical significance threshold. Some patients did not receive a second round of treatment with lifitegrast after surgery, and data were not captured on the cause for declining a second course. However, nearly the first third of study participants completed the study before the additional month of lifitegrast (postoperatively) was added to the protocol. Data should be interpreted with the study design and limitations in mind. No formal conclusions should be drawn.

SPEED, Standardized Patient Evaluation of Eye Dryness; TBUT, tear breakup time

Reference: 3. Hovanesian J, Epitropoulos A, Donnenfeld ED, Holladay JT. The Effect of Lifitegrast on Refractive Accuracy and Symptoms in Dry Eye Patients Undergoing Cataract Surgery. Clin Ophthalmol. 2020;14:2709-2716. Published 2020 Sep 16. doi:10.2147/OPTH.S264520

Xiidra may provide long-term dry eye symptom relief for some patients with continued twice-daily use.^1* With nearly 10 years of clinical experience,¹ as many as 1.5 million patients have been prescribed Xiidra.^†

^*In clinical studies, Xiidra reduced symptoms of eye dryness at 2 weeks in 2 out of 4 studies, with improvements observed at 6 and 12 weeks in all 4 studies.

^†Based on an analysis of IQVIA LRx claims data from July 2016 to January 2024.

Reference: 1. Xiidra. Prescribing Information. Bausch & Lomb Inc.