Artificial Tears

[behinddryeyes]

It seems as though my eyes are worse using artificial tears. It seems like the artificial tears might cause tear instability. Has anyone else had a similar experience? I have recently used Systane preservative free and Refresh optive. My eyes have been on fire and very red using the Refresh today! Any feedback would be appreciated

[behinddryeyes]

P.S. I already threw away the Refresh Optive....my eyes are on fire and I strongly feel those drops are the culprit!

[bakunin]

I have tried 8 diferent artificial tears. Two were gels and two preservative free. I can't get any relief from them. It is just the same or worse them drop water in my eyes. At the end of the day I feel like I would be better without them. Its better my "natural" burning feelling than the "chemical" kind of sore they provide to my eyes.

[Jenn1]

BDE,

I read your profile and it doesnt state your exact diagnosis, maybe if you could find out what the diagnosis is then treating it would be slightly easier? Some here have meibomian gland dysfunction or blepharitis or aqueous deficiency or all etc. I had the same experiences early on and for months after my eye issues started when using eye drops, but my eyes have calmed a lot since even if not completely and yes too much use of eye drops can affect your tear film because your eyes arent given the opportunity to heal or try and function naturally, BUT if your eyes are lacking moisture and you need to protect them, especially when your eyes are at their worst then I would try using other brands of drops rather than stopping them completely and also weaning yourself off in the amount of drops you use daily if you can.

The best thing I found was time, when my eyes naturally started getting to a point where my symptoms were calming enough that i could use less and less drops a day and thus give my eyes the time to heal by themselves and improve considerably. So what I am saying is give your eyes time to heal and you will know when you are feeling ok enough to reduce your drops or just use another brand now and monitor how you get on, and it may take more testing drops to find one suitable for you etc. Also, it would help to know if you have any mgd or bleph too as tablets like doxy can help with that and can help reduce drops usage also.

I hope you feel better soon and that your eye issues become manageable with time.

[LaDiva]

Hi behind,
Everyone is different, but try preservative-free TheraTears in the little vials. It is the only drop I can use. Any flavor of Optive was a nightmare. Good luck.

[libralady]

Have you tried celluvisc 0.5%. These are individual ones and are preservative free. They
were originally prescribed for me by the eye hospital. and don't make my eyes sore. I have
heard that you can overdo eyedrops though. I use them 3/4 times a day. Hope this might
help.

[georgiav]

Behinddryeyes -- I am with you entirely! After application of ALL tears (I have tried them all, including Serum tears), my eyes feel more irritated and DRYER after they dissipate on the eye. Is it possible that maybe we are "washing away" whatever slight "good" components we do have to our tears? Or could it also be that maybe with repeated use, the artificial tears may actually help in the long-run despite the initial ill effects? (So maybe we just have to get past this--but how does one know?)

Has anyone experienced initial problems from artificial tear usage that eventually resolved with repeated use?

[bakunin]

Behinddryeyes -- I am with you entirely! After application of ALL tears (I have tried them all, including Serum tears), my eyes feel more irritated and DRYER after they dissipate on the eye. Is it possible that maybe we are "washing away" whatever slight "good" components we do have to our tears? Or could it also be that maybe with repeated use, the artificial tears may actually help in the long-run despite the initial ill effects? (So maybe we just have to get past this--but how does one know?)

Has anyone experienced initial problems from artificial tear usage that eventually resolved with repeated use?

Well, I think I have the same problem with all artificial tears either. I have not tried serum drops. I used artificial tears for 3 months and I was getting worse. So I stopped. My feeling is that we have some sensitivity, due to the inflammation.