Dry Eye and Pregancy

[Maria T.]

Hi, Everyone,

I am new to this forum. I was diagnosed with Sjogrens last July, but have had dry eyes for about 13 years. I am trying to get pregnant so went off of Restasis last month. I have two questions: has anyone been on Restasis both during pregnancy AND breastfeeding? What alternatives have people tried both during pregnancy and breastfeeding? (Alternative/natural methods that have worked.) I am focusing on OTC drops right now.

I am meeting with a new oph next week and wish to discuss plugs in particular. My old oph just said go off of Restasis, but did not offer any other solutions. I have very very dry eyes and have been putting drops in roughly every hour. It is hard to keep this up (especially with a 2 year old at home). I am also getting a second opinion from a rheumy as my current one said to go on Plaquenil. I am uncomfortable with this early in a pregnancy, though I know many have done this without problems.

Thanks,
Maria

[dianat]

Maria,

I managed through a pregnancy suffering from lasik-induced dry eye. I cannot offer much regarding systemic meds such as Sjogrens patients would use, but I can tell you what I did.

First off, I tend to be conservative about drugs during pregnancy. That's not to say I completely avoided drugs either. In any of my pregnancies I only took what I needed to in order to get through a tough time...when there was no alternative. This did not include Restasis. I would be very uncomfortable using Restasis at all during pregnancy/breastfeeding.

I relied on hot compresses, over-the-counter eye drops sold on this site (I would recommend Dwelle if you're using drops as often as you say) and autologous blood serum drops. I know this doesn't sound like much, but it worked for me.

What methods did you use when you were pregnant before? Have your symptoms become more severe since then?

It takes a lot of guts to walk knowingly into a condition where you're protecting a little one and greatly reducing your possibilities for personal comfort. My best to you.

Diana