Freshkote

[Judy]

Hi Ian,

Thanks for responding! I'm glad you are improving (overall...) . I'll let you know when I get up the nerve to try Dwelle. I have used Dakrina but not on a regular basis as I abhor the stringy stuff that comes along with it... Have a GRAND day!! Judy

[Rebecca Petris]

Judy,
Do you mean the lid residue (this happens with both Dwelle and Dakrina due to the high polymer content) or strands in your eyes?
If the latter, please email me... This is something a few people have experienced and I think in all cases but one we've more or less nailed down a cause (interaction with something else).

[Judy]

Hi Rebecca,

Happy Monday. Actually the very fine strands was what I was referring to. I think it is mostly in my eyelashes (what is left of them...).

Thanks,
Judy

[Maya]

how can I get Freshkote or Dakrina in Germany ?

Hello everyone,

I´mm suffering from severely dry eyes for a year now. My eyes are constantly red, with big vessels crossing all over and they hurt all the time.

I don´t know what else to try. I think I bought all sorts of drops and ointments that are available here, but nothing worked. I notice that my problems are getting worse as time passes, and I´m really afraid of this situation !

Now, that I read so much good about FReshkote and Dakrina, I´m desperately looking for a way to get them over here to Germany.
Does anybody know a way to have this done ? Or is there anybody who could purchase the drops for me and send them to Germany ?
So please, if anybody has an idea or can help, I would be very very happy !


Thank you so much, Maya

[Peachie]

Freshkote

Sorry to sound so naive, but how do you get a perscription for something? I told my eye dr about Freshkote and he said he'd check out the website, but what if he doesn't think it's any different from anything else and won't write the perscription? Has anyone tried Freshkote?

My eye dr told me that Freshkote is now available over the counter (OTC) and one no longer needs a prescription. However, I feel one should not just buy it, but first get their eyes checked whether Freshkote is the correct product.

[Pat S]

Freshkote's made a huge difference

Hi all,
I had LASIK 5 years ago, when I was living in Washington state--lots of rain, high humidity. Immediately after I had horrible dry eye symptoms. I tried Restasis, the eye shield you wear at night (don't remember the name, but I took it off in my sleep so I never noticed an improvement), and another drop by Dr. Holly--one that's no longer available. Then 4 years ago I moved to New Mexico--desert, very little rain, very dry and windy. Bad place to live with dry eyes. Two years ago, I started using Freshkote, and after a year I noticed a tremendous change. My eyes aren't gritty. They don't burn and it's not painful to open them in the morning. I use one drop of Freshkote in each eye twice a day--immediately before I turn off the light at night and about an hour before I get out of bed. My eyes feel almost back to their pre-surgery state, when I had no dry eye symptoms. They're not perfect, but very very close. Freshkote is available without a prescription now, which is a drag because i my insurance company no longer helps me out with it. But it is so worth it to me--I will never begrudge paying for it, and a bottle lasts a long time. If you've tried Freshkote and it hasn't helped, maybe you haven't given it enough time. I kept it up because I have a lot of faith in Dr. Holly and I didn't know what else to try. I hope others will get the same benefit I've gotten from it. - Pat

[Rojzen]

Pat S: You have adopted exactly the protocol, with FreshKote, that brought me into nearly full remission several years ago. One drop before sleep, to protect corneas from night-time stress/damage, and a drop before opening the eyes for the day. . .This continues to work brilliantly for me, and I was a case that had to wear googles/moisture chamber glasses 24/7, before the FreshKote (actually its predecessor product), kicked in fully. . .I'm still doing well about 4 years on. . .And Pat: You are SO right about giving the FreshKote TIME to work. . .For me, it took nearly 7 months before I stabilized, but I have my life back again, and so the wait was worth it!!!

[hosanna13]

Freshkote stings

Pat S: You have adopted exactly the protocol, with FreshKote, that brought me into nearly full remission several years ago. One drop before sleep, to protect corneas from night-time stress/damage, and a drop before opening the eyes for the day. . .This continues to work brilliantly for me, and I was a case that had to wear googles/moisture chamber glasses 24/7, before the FreshKote (actually its predecessor product), kicked in fully. . .I'm still doing well about 4 years on. . .And Pat: You are SO right about giving the FreshKote TIME to work. . .For me, it took nearly 7 months before I stabilized, but I have my life back again, and so the wait was worth it!!!

Hi Rojzen,

Does Freshkote sting your eyes? Restasis doesn't sting me, but freshkote does. It turns my eyes really red for a few minutes. Is this normal?

[dryeyedave]

Hi Rojzen,

Does Freshkote sting your eyes? Restasis doesn't sting me, but freshkote does. It turns my eyes really red for a few minutes. Is this normal?

Freshkote will sting your eyes. If you look at their website they say this is a side effect. Freshkote stung my eyes really bad at first for a few seconds after install then the stinging stopped. Now it does not sting nearly as bad and only for a second or two. I only use it at bed time as my overnight drop and it works well for that application. For me overuse of Freshkote causes a reaction of burning and itching. You might try putting in a neutral drop like tears natural or bion tears a few minutes before the FK, it might lessen the burning.

[Andrey_V]

That is what I have read on FreshKote website, but not quite understand:

The High Oncotic Pressure found in FreshKote (65mmHg) offsets the intra-ocular pressure. This helps to normalize the inward osmotic flow of the tears (from the ocular surface towards the cornea), keeping the tears on the ocular surface.

I have an open angle glaucoma, I am on Xalatan and I am wondering what exactly FreshKote do with intra-ocular pressure? Could FreshKote worsen glaucoma?

[Rebecca Petris]

Wow. I have no idea what they mean by that other than that I would assume they are talking exclusively about the top layers of the cornea (which have nothing to do with glaucoma). I am not aware that any OTC lubricants of any kind can affect IOP in any way. I would contact the company and ask them to explain.

[runnergirl]

those of you that used FReshkote and it has worked, did you use it excusively or did you also use restasis with it? I have been on restasis for a year and really feel like it is not working, my eyes are actually worse today. I tried FReshKote for about 1 to 2 weeks and stopped because I did not feel any difference. But now after reading all this, I think I did not give it enough time. I have cut my restasis to once a day instead of 2. Please let me know your thoughts.

Thank you!!!

[dryeyedave]

I used Freshkote for a while. I used it back when I had corneal erosions and it worked very well for healing those. Now though it does not give me much relief. In my opinion celluvisc works better and last much longer. As a short term drop refresh classic is working well for me now. It has the same polymers as Freshkote but less of it and it is unpreserved. I really think it depends on what type of dry eye you have as to how well Freshkote works. I did find that Freshkote is to harsh to use more than twice a day.

[runnergirl]

Thank you Dave for your response. It is harsh. I just put it in my eyes last night before bed and just slept with it. Did not use it in the morning, I just put restasis in and I use the lacrisert tablet. I just wish I could narrow it down to one thing that will keep me consistantly manageable, instead of 3 or 4 different things. Is the drop you are using called celluvisc? is it over the counter? Does FreshKote have preservatives?

Thank you again so much for your knowledge.

Sue

[MGD666]

I have recently started using Freshkote again and my eyes have felt pretty good (better than they have in a long time) after about a week of use 2x daily. I do not use restasis at all, but have also been using cold-pressed, hexane-free, organic castor oil (Heritage brand) at night applied with a sterile dropper once in each eye. It could be the combination of these two that is helping, or it could just be the FreshKote. (Hell, it could also be the Eyeseals night mask I have been wearing now overnight for the past month). I can empathize with your frustration in trying to determine which of the things you are trying is actually helping - and which may not be. There really is a lot of trial and error with all this.

Dave is absolutely correct though in that it really depends on what kind of dry eye you have. For me, I am both aqueous and lipid deficient with the main problem being meibomian gland dropout/atrophy. FreshKote does seem to be of some help to me though, whereas almost all other drops (save for Genteal Severe Dry Eye Gel) just exacerbate my problems after the first 5-10 minutes of initial relief.

Yes, celluvisc is over the counter. FreshKote has a preservative, but it is not the dreaded "BAK" one.