New eye drops

[eva b]

My wonderful optometrist, who regularly expresses my MGs, gave me a sample of some new eye drops he'd been given by an eye specialist over here in the UK (who introduced onto the market something similar to Rebecca's rice baggy) and who has a special interest in dry eyes.

He highly recommends these drops, so I thought I'd pass on the info.

They are called ROHTO and the active ingredients are Hyaluronic Acid ( which we know) o.2% and extract of tamarind seed, which I've never seen used in an eye drop before, but the makers claim it helps to repair the eye surface.

They are available in single dose p.f. vials, which last one day once open, I haven't had the courage to try them yet...

just thought I'd pass on the info, and see if anyone else has come across them.

Apparently, the company is Japanese, and very big in the field elsewhere in the world except the UK - don't know about the US.

[odydnas]

Thanks for the tip! I'm here in the US and I haven't heard of those drops. I am however, on a course of hyaluronic acid drops from Oasis. My doc gave me a free box to try (0.15%) and I'm almost done with them, and after that I will be trying the 0.3% drops. I don't think they have tamarind in them though. I will post about how it works out for me; I seem to make very slow progress if any at all, for most dry eye treatments, so I think a fair trial for me would be about 8 weeks, instead of 4. I am one of those people where drops don't seem to do much for me though, even if I drop every 10 minutes. The only thing I've really gotten from drops is it working as a preventative measure before I step outside the house or before I use the computer. I've never had drops help with the pain I am feeling at that moment, but it can help delay an increase in pain for a little bit (~30 min to 1 hr). So I don't really have my hopes up for this, but it's not making me worse, so it's worth a try.

[Aaron77]

What exactly are hyaluronic acid drops suppose to do? I hear they are suppose to increase tear production but if this is so why are'nt we all being given this stuff?

[sanna]

I do not think Hyaluronic gives you more tears but i am not sure. I use eyedrops with Hyaluronic and it is the only drop i can use.

[irish eyes]

I thought that the benefits were to do with it staying longer on the ocular surface.

Hyaluronic acid is a component of synovial fluid and occurs naturally in the body - it's even present in the vitreous humor of the eye. I've had it explained to me that it acts as a type of `shock absorber' and helps to prevent trauma to the eye.

[odydnas]

Yeah. I don't think HA drops have any direct therapeutic effect on tear production or MG glands. It's supposed to be a newer, better, lubricating agent in eye drops. It's supposed to wet the surface better and that should probably lead to better eye surface healing. Apparently, the Oasis HA drops have higher molecular weight HA, so it stays on the eyes longer, and the lubricating effects are supposed to last longer than other eyedrops. Personally, it feels thicker than other eyedrops, and I have a preference for thicker eye drops.

[sparrow]

I have been using the Oasis Tears Plus drop that I get from my eye dr for about 6 months now and it is fantastic. Before using it, I used to have to use the Genteal drops at least once an hour and never really felt I had any relief but with the Tears Plus, I use a drop once in the morning and once again at night and I do have protection and relief all day. The Oasis Tears didn't do a thing for me, but the thicker Tears Plus is a real gem,

[mylittlem]

Eva,

My question to you is off of the topic you write about, but I am very interested in your statement...."My wonderful optometrist, who regularly expresses my MGs..." Would you be kind enough to PM me so that we could have a dialogue on the procedure. How is this different from you yourself doing warm compresses and the lid scrubs and massage? Is it essentially the same process only done by a professional? Am I missing something?

Thanks, MylittleM

[indrep]

The right molecular weight and viscosity HA has many qualities that have a positive impact on the ocular surface.

1. Molecular crowding: HA over 500,000 daltons and in concentrations over .1% creates a spongelike matrix holding up to 1000 times its weight in water on the ocular surface. Benefit: Longer duration on the ocular surface, thicker tear film for comfort and better vision, the more water on the ocular surface the lower the osmolarity of the tear film breaking the cycle of inflammation.

2. HA has promotes cell migration. Benefit: Damaged cells on the ocular surface are replced quicker and helps heal the ocualr surface this helps bring about a more stable tear film over the entire ocualr surface.

3. HA has anti-inflammatory and anti infective properties to help create a "quieter" ocular surface.

4. Most people notice an immediate relief and the benefits described above will lead over time to more comfort and fewer drops needed per day.

[nopoint]

I've heard very good things about these drops. Which one did you get? I believe Rohto V Ice is the only product in their lineup that is preservative free.

I'm going to go out and buy it later. I'll let you know how it goes.

[nopoint]

OK, so I bought the Rhoto V Ice and just tried it out less than 5 minutes ago.

I put one drop in each eye, immediately I felt a strong sensation in my eyes. Felt like there was peppermint or something in there. Felt kinda good, actually. I noticed my eyes became really red after the drops and so I lied down and blinked for a few seconds. After getting up, I checked my eyes in the mirror again and they were significantly less red than my pre-eye drop state. Most of my sclera became whiter. Some prominent red veins still remain but there's not as many of them. Overall, the drops feel great and are very soothing.

Previous to this, I used TheraTears but I'm going to try these new drops out for a while and see how it goes. From the looks of things, I think I'm going to replace the TheraTears with Rhoto V Ice.

[Shell]

Hi A question

Hi there I'm in the UK too - Liverpool. Could you tell me which Optometrist gave you the ROHTO drops and whether he will have them available to sell? If so, could you confirm they're single vial, preservative-free? Oh..and do you know the exact name of the drops? When I searched ROHTO drops on the net I saw loads (US sites) and they had benzal.... chloride in them... Thanks, Shell

[eva b]

Hi there I'm in the UK too - Liverpool. Could you tell me which Optometrist gave you the ROHTO drops and whether he will have them available to sell? If so, could you confirm they're single vial, preservative-free? Oh..and do you know the exact name of the drops? When I searched ROHTO drops on the net I saw loads (US sites) and they had benzal.... chloride in them... Thanks, Shell

My optometrist is in London, so not much use toyou...

the company that markets the drops in the UK is called The Mentholatum Co, tel 01355 848484 (in Scotland) I called them to ask what percentage of HA the drops contain and it is 0.2%.

All it says on the package is Rohto dry eye relief with HydraMed, and yes, they are single vial pres.-free. They also come ina bottle - maybe those have the preservative in them.

hope this helps,
eva

[eva b]

Eva,

My question to you is off of the topic you write about, but I am very interested in your statement...."My wonderful optometrist, who regularly expresses my MGs..." Would you be kind enough to PM me so that we could have a dialogue on the procedure. How is this different from you yourself doing warm compresses and the lid scrubs and massage? Is it essentially the same process only done by a professional? Am I missing something?

Thanks, MylittleM

I'll post my reply here because others may find it interesting...

when he expresses my MGs he does it using his big magnifying lens machine, and basically presses with his fingers against a little blunt spatula like instrument to really squeeze the glands from inside the edge of the lid. He really presses quite hard (it can be fairly painful, but definitely worth the relief)- I don't think you could do it yourself, because of the engles involved and not being able to see what you're doing properly.

Obviously I can't actually see what he's doing, but it feels like it would if you were squeezing blackheads (sorry for the graphic description)

Apparently, it's not something many optometrists do...or eye doctors, for that matter.

If you want any more info, ask away.

[irish eyes]

A consultant expressed my meibomium glands several years ago and then confidently announced that I could take an active role in my own eye health care by doing this myself.

(Back then, there weren't any pictures or diagrams around to show how it was done - so it was all guess work on my part when I got home).

Had I been shown how to do this properly, I think my eyes would be in better shape now.

It would be so helpful if consultants could stand over their patients to check that they know what these glands even look like and how they might perform this `procedure' on themselves. It's tricky and you have to have reasonable dexterity.

And a magnifying mirror of course.