<p>I have been having trouble with dry eye for several years now. I haven’t been good about using eyedrops and the eye doctor says it’s time for me to get serious and use them several times a day. What have been your experiences with this? The eyedrops I’ve tried make my eyes burn and don’t seem to help much…</p>
<p>I had that, but I changed my diet and drink more water.
I wear my glasses more than I do contacts now too.
If it really bothers me, I use emollient drops at night.
My Dr uses steroid drops too, but I dont like them.
Ive used Alcon Systane, among others.</p>
<p><a href=“http://www.revoptom.com/content/d/dry_eye/i/798/c/14852/”>http://www.revoptom.com/content/d/dry_eye/i/798/c/14852/</a></p>
<p>I gave up wearing contacts (which I had worn with no problems for decades). I also made a conscious effort to drink more water & other non-carbonated, non-alcoholic beverages. I also worked with my docs to take a med that was known for causing dry mouth (and for me dry eyes) MWF instead of daily. All of these measures helped MUCH more than Systane, Rx Restasis, or any other eye drop I used. Also tried taking fish oil capsules once or twice a day. I think they were somewhat helpful, but cutting back the med and switching from contacts to glasses were the main keys for me.</p>
<p>They can also plug your tear ducts with a removable plug, but I figured I’d try that as a last resort. It was never needed.</p>
<p>Have you been using the single-use vials? That’s what my doctors recommend, and that’s what I use.</p>
<p>I used to wake up 5-8 times a night to put drops in my eyes (because they were so dry) but that changed when I stopped doing the job that necessitated staring at a computer screen for half the day. Now I only use the drops when I wake up in the morning. I never did try Restasis so don’t know if it might have helped. Couldn’t bring myself to get plugs because I was afraid of having overly watery eyes during the day. (Also plugs sound really gross, don’t you think?)</p>
<p>Try Blink eye drops. I use the soln for contacts but they also have one for dry eye. They contain hyaluronate which keeps moisture on the eye. Also the soln has a unique preservative that dissipates on exposure to light essentially making it preservative-free (many people are sensitive to the preservatives in many products which causes a burning sensation.)</p>
<p>My doctors are definite with me: don’t use the stuff with preservatives. Use the single-use little vials that don’t have any preservative.</p>
<p>MD here.
Thicker drops are more moisturizing, but blur vision for longer. A thicker drop is like Refresh liquigel (or the Blink extra dry eye). The thickest is an ointment such as Refresh PM ointment to use at night, but it will make your vision blurry for 1/2 hr. Do it before bed. Preservative free (the individual vials) such as refresh celluvisc may help. You can try fish oil pills or flaxseed oil. Restatsis helps only if the cause of your dry eye is inflammation such as rheumatological diseases. If you are postmenopausal, hormone replacement therapy may help, but you must discuss with your ob/gyn. Punctal plugs are great. I personally have 4 punctual plugs for my dry eye.</p>
<p>Yea, my relative the ophthamologist kept trying to convince me to try the plugs but I was glad that reducing the anticholinergic worked, combined with stopping the contact-wearing. </p>
<p>I’ve had serious dry eye since 1988. After a lot of trial and error, here’s what works for me:</p>
<ol>
<li>I use Refresh eye drops (preservative-free) perhaps four to six times a day. Usage varies depending on my environment, the season, etc. In the spring when the AC goes on, and in the fall when the heat goes on, I have to use them more frequently.</li>
<li>I used to use Refresh PM at bedtime but discovered that Mura 128 works better for me. My ophthalmologist disapproves of Mura 128 – he says that chemically it shouldn’t work – but they’re my eyes, not his.</li>
<li>I tried the plugs but they were uncomfortable for me.</li>
<li>I tried Restasis but after a year or so I saw no difference so I stopped.</li>
<li>I used to use a product called Lacriserts – little bits of something that would melt in the eyes and lubricate them during the day – but I found that by late afternoon/early evening, they would stop melting and just become gummy. Then I realized I could manage without them.</li>
<li>I switched to waterproof mascara, so that when I use the drops during the day they don’t smudge my makeup. </li>
<li>I make sure to remove all mascara at bedtime.</li>
<li>Sometimes – maybe once a month or so – in the evening my eyes are so annoying to me that I’ll just go to bed. In the morning, I’m fine again.</li>
</ol>
<p>Good luck. Dry eyes are a serious annoyance. </p>
<p>Thanks for all the tips. I just started using preservative free retaine MGD…seems weird to essentially be putting mineral oil in my eyes a few times a day! I have never worn contacts and don’t wear makeup, but I feel a bit like a rabbit with my eyelids always looking pink and puffy. So far, my eyelids glide smoother on my eyes, but my eyes feel irritated. I was hoping not to notice how my eyes were feeling at all or a refreshed kind of feeling. </p>
<p>I use restasis. I could never wear contacts for much time, and I got Lasix. The dr also suggested the plugs for me, especially my right eye. I also notice they can get bad during bad allergy times for me. Do you have allergies at all? </p>
<p>I had dry eye. I eat healthily, but I wasn’t absorbing, or getting enough, beta carotene. Someone told me to try it b/c it worked for them and it worked for me. If I forget it for a few days, my eyeballs feel like the Sahara. </p>
<p>I use Refresh, one drop a day as soon as I wake up. My doctor said that’s the best time for drops.</p>
<p>betacarotene pills? drops?</p>
<p>My Dr prescribed Restasis and gave me a coupon that was supposed to be for 30 days supply. I kept them in the fridge and found that I could use each vial 4 times, so that lasted around 4 months. When I went to refill the prescription, the cost was so extreme (even with my conservation approach) that I gave that up. I’m going to try some of these suggestions. I do find that trying to drink more water and seltzer helps.</p>
<p>I have been thtough so much with dry eyes and after spending so much time and money, I’m using single use vials of eye drops. I started a dry eye thread a few years ago and someone swore by Berleans Flax Seed Oil capsules. I found that they did nothing for my eyes, but I like what they do for my hair.</p>
<p>I fired two eye doctors over the issue. The first thing they all seem to do is prescribe Restasis. I’m thinking there must be a kick back involved. I was on Restasis twice for a long period of time and noticed absolutely no difference. Of course, the first time I was also on steroid drops that the same doc presribed and then I had to tell HIM after hearing all the commercials that they don’t produce tears if you’re also on steroid drops. I switched doctors, was put on Restasis again, tried it again for quite a while, said it didn’t work, etc. Every appointment he would want to prescribe Restasis and every time I would tell him that I had tried it and it didn’t work. I finally made them put it in huge letters on my chart not to prescribe Restasis.</p>
<p>So then I was on steroid drops again. Those worked for a while but then my eyes were tearing constantly. I went to the doctor who prescribed the drops and he asked if my tear drops had been cauterized. I said no and he referred me to an eyelid doctor. That doctor told me that the steroid drops had caused my tear ducts to swell closed (I guess the equivalent of tear duct plugs). He wanted to schedule surgery to open the ducts [also made a valiant attempt to upsell me to a lid lift], but of course, once I stopped using the drops, they opened themselves.</p>
<p>So I guess that’s three doctors I fired, not just two.</p>
<p>I’m sure Blue Cross Blue Shield and I enabled the guys to make multiple college tuition payments and now I use single use eye drops.</p>
<p>Yes, I did post this to vent a bit, but also to warn you that going down this road can be expensive, time consuming, and lead to no improvement whatsoever.</p>
<p>Muro 128 is meant for corneal edema not dry eye. The high sodium content draws fluid out of the cornea relieving pressure and inflammation.</p>
<p>If one dry eye product does not work for you, try another. There are many different formulations and you’ll just have to try them out to find one best for you. My bet would still be something with hyaluronic acid in it–get the blink contact soln and try it out–I couldn’t wear my contacts before it because of irritation. I couldn’t use any polyethelene glycol products (which most have) nor anything with preservatives.</p>
<p>I just want to throw this out there … make sure you have been thoroughly evaluated for underlying conditions that may cause the dry eyes. My SIL had terrible trouble with dry eyes and was diagnosed with Sjogren’s Syndrome. She takes medication to manage the syndrome, which has alleviated some of the dryness in her eyes. </p>
<p>I have plugs in my lower tear ducts. They work great. Have been in for years without problems. (You still have the upper ducts so you don’t look like you’re crying.)</p>
<p>For eye drops, I use Systane long lasting lubricant. The trade-off with drops, of course, is the longer they last the more viscous they are and thus the more time it takes to see clearly. I mostly use at night or when allergies go wacko.</p>