Restassi's - I am not sure they are helping

[TripleC]

I am really having doubts that Restassi's is really helping.  I have been on them for about 2 yrs, I put in eyes in the morning and evening.  I seem to have to use my tears ( blink, refresh etc ) shortly after putting in the Restassi's and have to use tears all day/nite long.

I am thinking of quitting Restassi's.   Any opinions or anyone else feel the same way ?

[craftkeeper]

I have Plugs and Restasis.  I felt quite a bit of relief from the Plugs, but went on Restasis after that and i dont think i can tell anymore difference with it.  I've been using it since March. I do have alot of burning and stinging after i use them for about an hour.  I myself have been thinking about doing a trial run without the drops just to see if there's a difference.  I still use systane through the day because i seem to flare alot  lately.  All i know is it's all heck to deal with.

[Daisy1234]

Hi TripleC:

Using Restatsis for us really dry eye suffers may not be the complete answer.  I have extremely dry eyes, which have been determined to be 0 and 0 on the schrimers so I do not produce any tears at all.

In order to help you I would ask if you know just how dry your eyes are?  Have you had a schrimers test done by someone? 

Also do you know if you have Meibomian Gland Dysfunction and if so are you following the procedures for that, including  warm compresses and massage?  That will help retain the tears on the surface of your eye longer if you have this problem as well. 

In addition to punctual plugs getting a good moisturizing eye googles for night use often helps make our eyes feel better during the day.

Here's a good link for Meibomian Gland Dysfunction that you may wish to look at. 

http://www.contactlens.org.nz/extra1.aspx

Best wishes,
Daisy

[Meld256]

TripleC,

As Daisy posts, Restasis can really help our tear production but many times we need other drops as well.  Like other meds, Restasis can work better for some than others.
The only way to see if it's helping is to have a Schrimer's test done.  Hopefully, you had this or something similar done when you were prescribed Restasis. They can look back to see if your tear production has increased and if your eyes are less dry now than before.

My eyes are also very dry, so I need to use an OTC drop along with another prescription drop along with Restasis every day. If I feel more inflammation starting, there is an antibotic drop I use, too.

If I remember correctly, you shouldn't use any other drops for about 15 minutes after the Restasis. And, that's good advice about the moisturizing night googles.
Take care,
Melinda