OBJECTIVES : Dry eye disease (DED) is a chronic multifactorial disease of the ocular surface that can have a negative impact on quality of life and daily activities. This study aimed to elicit utility values for seven treatment health states of DED developed for use in an economic model to evaluate the benefits of DED treatment.

METHODS : DED health states were developed through interviews with clinicians (n=3) and patients (n=5), and tested through pilot time trade-off (TTO) exercises with members of the general population (n=5). Finalized DED health states were used to elicit utilities through vignette-based TTO interviews conducted in person with a sample from the UK general population (n=100). Seven hypothetical health states described different DED scenarios including descriptions of the symptoms, impacts, and treatment. These included health state A:“Initial Treatment Short Term”, B:“Maintenance Strong Responder”, C:“Maintenance Moderate Responder”, D:“Long-term Post-initial Treatment”, E:“Non-Responder”, F:“Subsequent Treatments” and G:“Long-term Post-subsequent Treatment”. Participants’ ranked health states from most to least preferable, and then completed the TTO valuation exercise.

RESULTS : Mean age of participants (n=100) was 38.8 years; 59% were female. Mean (standard deviation) EQ-5D-5L Visual Analogue Scale (VAS) and index scores were 85.1 (13.1) and 0.92 (0.12), respectively indicating a healthy sample. Health state B had the highest utility score (0.900) and was most commonly ranked the most preferable state followed by health state D (0.893). Health state G had the lowest score (0.656) and was most commonly ranked the least preferable health state. There were no significant differences in utility scores by age and gender between health states. Minor differences were seen between occupational groups.

CONCLUSIONS : The findings suggest that responder health states are associated with markedly higher utility values. This evidence gives insight into the benefit of treatment for DED. Utility values elicited can be used in cost-effectiveness models comparing responses of treatment for DED.