Optase's Allegro Eye Drops target environmental irritant relief

With autumn upon us, ocular allergy season is already in full swing.

And when it comes to environmental irritants, a recipe for disaster ensues for the estimated 35 million patients across the United States suffering from irritated and dry eyes.

Such irritants are known to pose a year-round issue for this patient base, often in the form of animal dander, feathers, dust mites, fungi, extreme temperatures, and pollutants.

This can’t lead to anything good …

Not at all. In fact, dry eye patients are often left with itching, redness, and swelling in their eyes—and a negative impact on their overall quality of life (QoL).

The silver lining: Eyecare providers (ECPs) have a wide arsenal of treatment options for resolving these patients’ symptoms.

• Case in point (and our topic of discussion): OPTASE Allegro Eye Drops.

First things first: What makes this eye drop unique?

Who better to answer that than a clinician with real-world, first-hand experience prescribing OPTASE Allegro Eye Drops?

Cory Lappin, OD, MS, FAAO, of Phoenix Eye Care & the Dry Eye Center of Arizona, spoke with Glance President Jaclyn Garlich, OD, FAAO, on why he considers this product unlike any other — including a unique formulation that makes its overall efficacy unmatched.

And how should it be used?

The OPTASE Allegro Eye Drop is formulated as an over-the-counter (OTC) preservative-free lubricant intended to act as a first line of defense in blocking environmental irritants from impacting the eye.

How: By creating a more protective tear film and strengthening the ocular mucosa.

Talk about the ingredients.

We’ll start with the main active and inactive components:

• Active: Hydroxyethyl cellulose
  • Acting as a demulcent, this water-soluble polymer protects and lubricates mucous membrane surfaces to relieve dryness and irritation
    • Key to this: Increases viscosity of tears to improve ocular surface retention, targeting longer comfort
• Inactives: Ectoin, citric acid, purified water, sodium chloride, and trisodium citrate dihydrate.
  • Ectoin is an excipient that is a relatively new ingredient in eye drops in the U.S., although it has been used in ophthalmic eye drops in Europe for a number of years.
  • Ectoine (labeled as Ectoin®) is a bacteria-derived extremolyte and naturally-occurring molecule produced by microorganisms that thrive in harsh/dry environmental conditions
    • Examples: high heat, ultra-violet (UV) light exposure, high osmolarity, and dryness (such as in deserts, salt lakes, and hot springs)
    • Unique property: Ectoine has a high affinity for water molecules which pulls these molecules closer together

What does the formula do?

When introduced onto the ocular surface and into the tear film, it creates a protective “water shield” around proteins and other biomolecules, enabling water to connect with lipids located in the tear film and cell membrane, making the lipids more stable and stress-resistant.

Has it demonstrated efficacy for the ocular surface?

Yes! A 2021 study published in BioMed Research International analyzed this drop’s efficacy when administered as an eye drop in 15 clinical trials of patients.

The findings: Patients were successfully treated, with a significant improvement noted in ocular symptoms.

Anything more recently?

A 2023 study published in Clinical and Translational Allergy evaluated the efficacy of ectoine nasal spray and this eye drop (vs placebo) in preventing nasal/ocular symptoms in patients following environmental pollen exposure.

• The findings: For singular ocular symptoms, this eye drop significantly improved dry eye symptoms of “redness,” “watery eyes,” and “itchy eyes” (p ≤ 0.021) compared to placebo.
  • Additionally: Treatment demonstrated a “very good safety profile,” with few mild adverse events (AEs) that resolved without medical treatment.

Gotcha. And how quickly should patients feel the effects?

According to OPTASE: Within 30 seconds patients should have effective symptom relief of environmental-induced irritation.

And this claim is based on …

An internal report of the EES Allergy Study conducted by OPTASE.

• The details: Patients’ assessment of eye irritation via a visual analogue scale (VAS; 0 for no complaints to 100 for strongest complaints) from 0.5 to 30 minutes following drop administration
  • The findings:
    • Before administration: 67.81 (VAS)
    • 0.5 minutes post-administration: 49.81 (VAS)
    • 30 minutes post-administration: 9.13 (VAS)

So why should ECPs consider this for their patients?

Dr. Lappin noted that this preservative-free lubricant can be considered as a first-line of treatment to stop environmental irritants in their tracks by creating a more protective tear film for dry eye patients.

“When you put a drop of Allegro onto the ocular surface, it’s going to go into the tear film and pull the water molecules of that tear film close as a sort of ‘hydration shield,’” he stated.

And this means …

In the case of pollen and pollutants, according to Dr. Lappin, these environmental irritants will have a difficult time getting through that barrier—which, ultimately, prevents disruption of the ocular surface in dry eye patients.

And how have patients responded to these drops?

In Dr. Lappin’s experience, the response so far has been “overwhelmingly positive.”

• What they like:
  • Preservative-free formulation
  • Ability to use with contact lenses
  • Soothing nature and feel when applied
    • Directly linked to the use of hydroxyethyl cellulose

Let’s talk efficacy and results … does it really only take 30 seconds?

That time frame is “pretty accurate,” Dr. Lappin noted, saying his patients have reported experiencing “rapid relief” following topical application.

Now the big question: What are the major advantages of this drop?

When treating dry eye due to environmental irritants, here’s the rundown of the benefits of Allegro:

• A physical, drug-free mechanism of action
• Supports tear film stability
• Suitable for pediatric patients
• Highly tolerable and low incidence of side effects
• Alleviates ocular symptoms in 30 seconds
• Suitable for pregnant and breastfeeding patients
• Preservative-free
• Suitable for contact lens wear, including while wearing lenses
• No dosing restriction

This sounds promising … so where can I try these out?

Head over to OPTASE for details on pricing and shipping.

And if you’re planning on attending the American Academy of Optometry’s annual meeting (Nov. 6-9 in Indianapolis, Indiana), stop by the OPTASE booth #220.