Hi guys...
I have been trying a bunch of stuff, and I don't know yet....
for me it seems that Bion Tears or Tears Naturale Forte felt better on my eyes, altho the later has a little preservative.
These non preserv. are so expensive...How do you guys use?
Are you suppose to dispense all the tears from the vial at once...
or do you reseal the vial for later?
Do you keep in the fridge???
Any creative tips???
Wich one do you use to sleep? Don't tell me you use the oitment creams LOL I tried that...and feels awful LOL
Monica
Hi Skygirl-
Drops are a very individual thing. As you know, there are many, many kinds of drops on the market. One will work well for someone, but not the next person and so forth. It's best if we use one without preservatives. However, if you have one that works and it has preservatives without bothering you, I'd keep using it. One kind that I like is Thera Tears.
You can use the vial more than once. Many of the tops can be replaced after they are snapped off the top. I do not necessarily keep the drops in the frig. They usually are used up within one day anyhow. Something you might want to try for night instead of oily, greasy stuff is GenTeal Gel. It is not greasy, but thicker than drops.
If you want to see more info and hints on dry eye, you can check out www.dryeyezone.com (http://www.dryeyezone.com). I have no financial interest in the board. Lucy
Hi Monica, I use Thera Tears and sometimes Refresh which r a bit cheaper. I had to try several brands to find one I liked and u probaly will too. If u use more than a couple of times a day preservatives may irritate your eyes. If u use a lot, ask about buying a case for a cheaper price. They are usually good for a long time, but check expiration to be sure u will use before then. If u do keep the vial be careful what the tip of it touches because if your eyes are dry u will be more vulnerable to infection. I have found Walmart to have best prices on most, but I know some people hate to shop there. Big Box stores like BJ"s sell eye drops too and I find Refresh there, quite a bit cheaper.
I use Genteal Gel at night, and I reapply if I happen to wake up to go to bathroom or something. I agree the ointments r awful and they make my eyes hurt.
I also usually do a hot pack and eye hygiene at night followed nby drops. I figure if I just pushed oil out, the drops probably stay on longer. Has your eye doctor gotten you on a lid hygiene regimen? If not u might want to ask about it. I do hot packs morning and evening, followed by eyelid rub and drops.
A bit off topic, but I take Omega fish oils in a vitamin form every day. My doc recmmended Thera Tears vitamins but they are pricey and I find just plain old mercury free fish oil vitamins work just as well. Ask your doc before taking cuz I think they can interfere with some meds and expect it to take some weeks if they r going to work for u.
Hope this helps. It really is about individual preference, price, availability so don't be afraid to try some different ones to see what works best with your particular chemistry. Ask your eye doc if he has a few samples you can try...it might make your search cheaper.
I have no financial interests in any of these products, although I buy so many I should invest!
Have a good eve,
cinmac
For the eyelid cleaning the only thing that works for me is SteriLid solution...
I will try the genteal gel....and good to know that there may be a discount if I buy a case of drops...
and that I can use the vial more than once.
the only thign that I dont know how to do ...is the warm compress...where do I buy hot packs? or
do .some people use rice? how does that work?
thanks girls!
skygirl,
I got a great spa type (microwave or freezer) eye compress, I pop it into the microwave for about 30-40 secs and it creates warm moist compress that feels so good. The cover comes off and is washable. Got it at kohls in the cosmetic and jewelry area.
kimbo
I think Walmart has the cheapest prices on drops.
I use Genteal Gel and it comes with a $1 off coupon in each package, so be sure to save that and use it on the next purchase.
Calli
I usually find the lowest prices at Walmart too, sometimes Target. I haven't had much luck finding my drops at Costco or BJ's. I recommend Genteal Gel for bedtime, it's much smoother than Lacrilube or other ointments. I used to use Celluvisc before I got punctal plugs. It was sticky and it made my vision really blurry so I only used it in the evenings when I was at home. Now I only use Optive drops because my eyes aren't nearly as dry as they used to be. They seem to work best with my contacts and leave less smudgy buildup on the lenses than Systane or Refresh.
Hi Monica,
I use Celluvisc.eye drops throughout the day and Lacrilube for bedtime.. Both are preservative free. I use each phial about 4 x times daily of which I keep it in a small plastic box with a cap, and keep it in the fridge. If I go out for the day I take a small ice cooler bag and keep the drops in the small container in that ...
If I take just a phial in my handbag on a short trip out, then I throw it away after use..
It really is a case of what suits each person..and if one uses the drops more than 3 x times a day, then preservitive free ones are recommended..
Hope you find relief soon, Dolly
Hi Monica. I have punctal plugs (1 in each eye) which helps keep my eyes moist. I use Refresh eye drops as needed throughout the day. I purchase them at Sam's. It's the cheapest I've found in my area. I apply them one drop at a time to each eye until the vial is empty. This helps flush my eyes. I do this when ever my eyes feel dry. And I use Refresh PM ointment at night. I purchase it at Kroger (again the cheapest in my area). This keeps my eyelids from sticking to my eye balls. I apply them right before I go to bed. My opthomologist gave me several samples of different products to try. These two products were the ones that worked best for me. The drops without preservatives should be used immediately and then discarded. Restasis is a prescription product that can help with dry eyes as well. I haven't needed this yet so I limited knowledge about this product. Hope this helps!
Hi Monica,
When I do hot packs I just use a clean damp washcloth each time and heat it for 30 to 40 seconds. It should feel good and warm but not burning hot. The doc told me to put them on my eyes for 5 minutes minimum so I set my microwave timer and use a thick washcloth so it will retain the heat long enough. I wet it so that it is good and damp but not drippy. When the timer goes off, I rub around the lash line pushing towards my eyeball so that any oil in the lash line will come out on my eye. Then I put in drops. If my eyes r really bad I may pack longer than 5 minutes just because it feels good, but I have to reheat the washcloth. Be sure to wash hands thoroughly before u start, especially if u r in a dry spell.
I have been doing this for 10 years and knock on wood I haven't had any infections or complications, but I am very careful to be clean, clean, clean when it comes to touching my eyes.
I have found Refresh Brand eye drops at BJ's and last time they had Systane which I have never tried but have heard about on this website. I would obviously try buying a small batch before u go BJ's size (100 vials per box) but the Refresh were quite a bit cheaper-and much cheaper than Thera Tears which I usually use.
Have a good evening,
cinmac
Hi Monica, I just wanted to mention that if you have plugs be careful how your rub your lids around them. I popped one out once!
cinmac
Genteal drops (Moderate formula) I cant tolerate the gel...tried all of them out there, and these work best for me.
I also have punctal plugs, and have been taking a natural supplement called "Hydroeye" for years, its helps a great deal.
gursie
I found my dry eye condition improved when I began taking flaxseed oil, either liquid as a salad dressing, or in the form of seeds on my cereals. For drops I use Viscotears preservative free, plus any carboma gel at night (not Lacrilube as it blurs my vision too much), Clarymist spray (apply to closed eyelids, sounds mad but works very well and good for travelling).
I have severely dry eyes, Schirmers = 0 ...
Ive tried all the drops on the market and the only one that does it for me is Theratears..(not the gel though)
Its a thin drop and makes less goo on the eyeline.
Depends how bad how dry the eyes are...plugs are essential for very dry eyes, then less drops are needed.
Hi, I love the Thera tears drops too. Not the gel-for that I love Genteal gel. It's funny how each person reacts so differently to the drops. They all r basically a saline solution so you wouldn't think it would make a difference.
cinmac
Yes, cinmac...
Thats is funny when you read the ingredients. There is hardly much to them and the price they put on them is crazy when you think on the contents and small amounts.
I payed over 12$ for a little tube of lubricant, read it was just mineral oil and petroleum, thats all. With then 24 hrs my dog got hold of it , and then it was just a small mass of tin. >:( ...... :)
kimbo
Hi Kimbo, Well I hope your dog thoroughly enjoyed it, because cost per ounce it was one expensive doggie snack. Lets hope he or she didn't develop a taste for it!
cinmac
Ladies, I want to thank all of you for your advice on the eye drops. My eyes have gotten more dry over the last several months. I went to the store after reading all of your posts and bought the Refresh drops. They really help. Roxanne
What are plugs ? and why preservative free?, using what eye doctor gave me blink for temporary relief and Soothe xp for persistent dry eyes but this one creates milky film for a few seconds, hate that.
so now I only use when I get the ripping burning sensation in my eyes.
Denise
I have punctal plugs in the lower corners of my eyes. They helped some. I also tried Lacriserts, but did not like them at all. They were like a sticky, glue thing in my eye and affected my vision. I could hardly wait for them to dissolve! I do know someone with SJS who finds Lacriserts helpful though. After trying tons of drops from the ophthalmologist I like Soothe best.
Terri
Quote from: Denise on May 02, 2009, 02:03:42 AM
What are plugs ? and why preservative free?, using what eye doctor gave me blink for temporary relief and Soothe xp for persistent dry eyes but this one creates milky film for a few seconds, hate that, so now I only use when I get the ripping burning sensation in my eyes. Denise
Denise, you can just Google punctal plugs and there's plenty to read.
http://www.eyecaretrust.org.uk/view.php?item_id=274
I have upper and lower plugs in both eyes but have just had the lower right cauterised, seems to have worked fine. Preservatives used long term might damage eyes, so best to go preservative free if you have a long-term need.
Following on from what others have said about the individual preservative-free capsules, my eye doc told me from the off to use them more than once by sticking the cap back on. I have always had them on prescription and now I'm over 60 prescriptions are free (in the UK that is).
Hello.. I am new to this board. I have SJS and SLE.. My eye doc gave a sample of systane Ultra and they seem to work very well.. I was pricing them today because I am running out of samples and i see they have a night time gel also.. the drops are like 10bucks.. But i know if you can get the drs to write a script for them if they are on the preferred drug list through your insurance company.. i know some cover some OTC drugs, believe it or not..
I hope to get to know you all better..
*hugs*
Sam :D
Nice Gal,
Thanks for the information, very informative.
Denise
Hello Peanut, welcome to Sjogren's World.
Thanks for the information about insurance and OTC meds, it's something everyone would have to check with their own company of course, but well worth looking into.
I hope you enjoy getting to know us all, and I'm sure we'll enjoy getting to know you.