I have made a discovery about eye drops

[farmgirl]

I have suffered from severe dry eye for 7 years now. I have all four puncta blocked and regularily use goggle glasses, eyedrops etc. If there is something out there for dry eye I have tried it (pretty much) What I have recently discovered however has been a game changer for me. In the past I have read about people whose doctors told them to 'quit putting stuffin your eyes and they will feel better' and I always thought...yeah, well you try to live with my eyes for a day and see how far you get.

As time went on I increasingly have developed intolerances to whatever I put in my eyes. Gels, preservatives, contact lense solutions what have you. Systane ultra was my go to eye drop but recently even that did not seem to aleviate my burning grittiness for more than 20 minutes. In desperation (and to save some $$$) I started to use some of the non-preserved saline that I had purchased when I tried scleral lenses. Well, what do you know, my eyes feel ever so much better. This tells me that at some level, and it wasn't really obvious, I had also developed an intolerence to non-preserved Systane Ultra. My greatest fear had been realized.

Not only has this discovery saved me a fortune and at the same time made me more comfortable, it is also practically free. What I am using are the 0.9% saline nebulizer Inhalation solution dispensing cartridges available in 5 or 3 ml. 3ml is probably prefect as they are easily used up withing a week. I am able to cap them with the lid off of a non-preserved Biontears (for Addipak) and systane or Refresh work (for Ritedose) dispenser. As long as I use them up within a week and keep the tip clean it is all good. I have tried 2 types either Addipak or Ritedose by Mylan. If , on occasion, I feel that the saline is drying my eyes too much or disrupting my tear film I sneak in a drop of some other lubricant that I have not overused and I am back on track, as long as I keep it to about 2 or 3 times a day. Plus I use the serum drops in the am and pm.

A box of 100 of the 5ml cartridges was $28 Cdn dollars and my local druggist ordered them in. The UPC code is 03786 98601 for the Rite Dose 5ml vials if you want a druggist to order them in. Not sure about the 3 ml but I found it online under Mylan.

For 'not putting stuff in your eyes' this is as good as it gets.

[Hokucat]

Hi there. That's great you found putting less drops and ointment in your eye works well for you. How often go you put the saline in your eyes on a given day? Also, is it something you do as soon as you wake up and/or right before you go to sleep? I don't use eye drops anymore now that I am much better, although sometimes in the morning right when I get up my eyes are dry. Usually if I drink a cup of water as soon as I sit up in bed and do blinking exercises that does the trick, but perhaps a few drops of saline will help on the drier days.

[farmgirl]

It depends on the day. Always when I wake up even in the middle of the night I need a drop and it is the last thinig I do before I go to bed. Now it varies. Before I would need to put something in at least every hour and by evening about every 20 min, not so much that the eye was dry I think, but more to soothe the burning which I now believe was in part a reaction to the eye drops. On Christmas day I went until about 3:00 without anything which was a record. Towards evening i need more, maybe every hour but again my computer and TV use is heavier at that time so I think I blink less. The difference has been dramatic.

[Hokucat]

Great to hear that. Here's hoping it will continue to get better for you in 2017! I will try a couple drops in morning next time I need an extra boost!

[charduff]

Farmgirl, thanks so much for linking me to this thread - I'm excited to try your method! Could you please let me know wha "0.9% saline nebulizer Inhalation solution dispensing cartridges" is or looks like? I'm still relatively new to this lexicon.

[farmgirl]

Hi Charduff: Here is an example of what works. The Addipak can be capped with a Bion Tears cap and the Rite dose with Systane cap. The smaller 3 or 5 ml dosing works better because it takes a while to use one up and I like to use it up within a few days - a week.

https://www.amazon.com/Modudose-Sali.../dp/B002YRY3HI

I don't know if you use serum tears but I highly recommend those and use them AM and PM. I do sneak in a drop of something else occasionally if I find I am needing the saline too often as it can dilute the tears so sometimes I need something with a bit more viscosity. If I do I switch it up so that I don't put the same thing in more than a couple of times a week. I usually only need to do that maybe every other day but that is just me of course. Sometimes I also will add an extra serum drop during the day to give the eye some nutrition.

Yesterday was a record day for me. I went for about 5 hours with nothing and I even was able to wear my regular glasses outside while I walked from the car to the store (about 1/2 a city block) and I am in tropical sunshine so that is saying a lot. Plus I shopped with my regular glasses not my dark moisture chambers. Oh yeah and I even put some eyeliner on and tolerated it yesterday and it didn't just wash off with the drops (the story just gets better lol). Today, not quite so good but that is just the way it goes with dry eye.

I hope it works just as well for you....cheer...F/G

[Hokucat]

Congrats farmgirl on your 5 hour record of not needing drops, no moisture chambers PLUS being able to wear eyeliner! That's truly a big deal. That means there will more good days like that and better to come. My crowning glory when I knew my dry eyes were on the up and up was when I was able to wear a cream eye shadow, curl my eyelashes and wear mascara all day last summer without any smearing or discomfort...I don't usually wear eye shadow mascara, and have not since that day, but just knowing I could felt like a huge accomplishment! Plus having dry eyes has given me a greater appreciation for the natural look :-)

You're absolutely right with dry eye one day can be good and the next not so much. Better to compare how we are doing now vs 3 or 6 months ago or vs last year...

[sophie0416]

farmgirl are you still using this method? does it still works?

[farmgirl]

Yep for sure. I think it is beneficial to try if are pouring drops in every 20 min like I was

[sophie0416]

Gosh I'll try this

[farmgirl]

Are you having to use eye drops excessively? If you are only needing them a few times per day I would stick with the drops but it was my finding that I was sensitive to the drops which upped the inflammation factor and the OTC drops were not giving me any relief. Getting away from the chemicals seemed to tone down the inflammation and my eyes felt so much better. These days I rarely use drops after my morning serum drops until at least about 6:00 and even then only a few times before bed, especially if I am not on the computer much.

[sophie0416]

I do use eye drops a lot, I'm so tired of this. It's been a horrible month and nothing has changed! The weather it's eve more humid so I have no idea whats going on!

[Cajsa]

I also seem to develop intolerance to eye drops. I use only saline and allergy drops (although any allergy has not been found so far) now. By quitting eye drops I got rid of some of the symptoms, and managed to get a more stable tear film, but of course it does not solve the problem (MGD and too little tear fluid).

[farmgirl]

So glad it worked for you as well Cajsa. I hope that your allergy drops are non preserved. Have you considered serum drops and are the allergy drops helping: as in, do you get worse if you don't use them?

[sophie0416]

where can I get serum drops?