can restasis help hormonal induced dry eye?

[painintheeye]

i am 42 years old and suddenly have really dry eye. am starting restasis today and is wondering if anyone has success from restasis on dry eye induced by menopause/hormons? i am suffering badly both physically and mentally and is hopeful that restasis may be the thing for me. thanks in advance, chris

[jannz]

Hormones

Hi 'Pain...'

I'm no expert, but I would think that 'yes' Restasis ~ MIGHT ~ help. I have autoimmune disease so that's the source or the major contributor to my dry eyes, but I do notice that close to my period my eyes get exceptionally drier -- I guess as a reaction to the estrogen drop.

I tried Restasis, and it did work for me -- it doesn't for everybody -- however I stopped using it because at the time it was a new drug and I worried about long term safety. ie; think Vioxx

I take a lot of supplements anyway, so I decided that instead of Restasis I would work on a "nutritional" approach. I increased the amount of fish oil I was taking... I added green tea and olive leaf extracts ... --- ones that are reported to work on inflammation and autoimmune issues... and other supplements. Not everyone wants to do this, but so far this is working for me -- I rarely use eye drops, except around my period. BTW: I'm 53 -- so I know all about this 'hormone adventure' that we're going through.

Important Note: I treat my supplements like they are medicine and my doctors are aware of all the supplements that I take.

I did see a couple of articles about how DHEA has helped those with Sjogren's -- an autoimmune disease. And I also saw an article about using testosterone and/or progesterone cream -- and it helped the dry eyes. I've not tried any of these however, so I can't share any first hand experiences.

There are a number of avenues to try -- combinations of treatments etc etc. You're just going to have to spend some time experimenting and researching -- so don't give up. And as a reward for the time spent doing this stuff... you have to be kind and nurture yourself. Go get a massage or pedicure... ~whatever~.

BTW: How do you know your dry eye is hormonally induced?


Best wishes...
Jann

[painintheeye]

thanks for your reply

hi jannz,

i did wear contacts for about 16 years with occasional dry eye until i just don't feel comfortable wearing them anymore. ever since i switched to glasses (about 7 yrs) i can recall a few dry eye episodes lasting a few days and then i would be fine for a year or two. because my dry eye situation was very mild so i didn't quite notice it but i just always assume it's due to menstrual cycles. this time the dry eye got so severe and it never goes away so i am just assuming it's hormonal induced since my eyes are otherwise healthy (i checked with 2 ophtham). honestly speaking i don't know for sure.

it's my second week into restasis and i hope it will start working for me. i take almost all the recommended dry eye nutritional supplements and is yet to see any significant changes because it's only been a little bit over a month. i know i need to be patient. but it's comforting to know that restasis did work for you. how long before you start to notice restasis working for you and is it a gradual process?

God Bless

Chris C

[jannz]

It's been a few years since I used Restasis, but if I remember right it was something like three months or so before I noticed any benefit.