Anyone used Mucomyst (N-acetylcysteine) eye drops to break up mucus?

[eyes78]

I saw the surgeon who did my eyelid grafts (for my mucus-y, stringy tears). He said that he thought the hard palate (roof of mouth) grafts were producing too much mucus.

He said there are 2 options: remove the grafts and replace them with another material . . . or first, try mucomyst eye drops.

These are specially-compounded eyedrops that a pharmacist makes using a medicine like Mucinex. (you know, the stuff you take when you have excess mucus in your lungs or sinuses).

The Dr says it may help break up the excess mucus in my eyes. It wouldn't stop the grafts from producing mucus, though.

Has anyone heard of these drops, or better yet, used them??

I won't have them for another week so I have no idea yet what they're like.

The Dr. says I'll know within a week if they'll be effective for me.

[eyes78]

Hey, sorry, it occurred to me to do a search on the forum (DUH) and I found some info. Doesn't seem to be all that common though.

I have to say, knowing that it is the grafts that is producing the excess mucus, and not an eye condition per se, does not make me feel very optimistic about these drops.

It sounds like they are hard to get and very expensive. And they won't solve the problem, they'll just break up mucus that the grafts will keep producing. So why wouldn't I just get the grafts replaced with something that DOESN'T produce mucus??

We'll see. I'll give the drops at least a week; since the Dr. said I'd know by then for sure if they are going to help.

[eyes78]

Well I got my drops. They STING like crazy! Anyone else experience this?

[Lea]

Hello,
Just curious if you are still using these drops? I went to a cornea specialist who told me he had a miracle eye drop for me and I was going to be thanking him. It was acetylcysteine made at a compounding pharmacy. I haven't heard of this drop before and I'm somewhat skeptical but I go ahead and pick it up. The eye drop itself stings terribly. I don't really have any mucus discharge so I'm not sure that this drop would even work for dry eye? I used it twice and it turned my eyes bright bright red. I'm not sure if this side effect goes away but I haven't tried it since. Has anyone had luck with these drops and did they sting and turn your eyes red in the beginning? Thanks for any information anyone might have.
Lea

[Trac]

I started using mucomyst eye drops 3 days ago. They do sting A LOT, but it does not seem as bad now as the first day. Mucomyst is suppose to break up mucus, the fillaments that form from dry eyes and defective tears. It does seem to help with the problem, but then the filaments are still there. I am on a lot of different medications, drops, pills and ointments, but the one I think helps the most is tears made from my own blood serum. They have to be compounded, are very expensive and are not covered by insurance, they are not FDA approved. But I can now sit through an entire movie without putting in eye drops every 15 minutes.

[postrkdryeye]

I have used them twice. They did help my eyes feel better, especially that horrible first moment when I have to open my eyes in the morning. They were very expensive - $80 for a 3 week supply, and I travel for work so the need to refridgerate made them impossible to use reqularly. A OTC version called Ilube is available in some countries. I want to try it but it's not available here.