What guides treatment decisions in dry eye disease: Signs or symptoms?

208 clinicians participated (98 OPHs, 110 ODs).

While most relied on a combination of signs and symptoms to initiate treatment, clinical severity heavily influenced decisions; clinicians were highly likely to initiate treatment for moderate-severe symptoms even when signs were minimal (ophthalmologists 79.8%, OD 70.5%) and to treat moderate-severe signs in asymptomatic patients (ophthalmologists 63.8%, OD 60.6%).