what's the average OTC drop rate here for severe DES sufferers?

[chimera]

Im curious for those of you with very severe DES like me, how many times do you drop(OTC drops like refresh) per day? I drop every 40 min to 1 hr & Im just curious if this is on the average or extreme side.

thanks...

[alisonW]

Every 3 to 4 hours is average for me - more frequently if it's an especially bad day but I don't ever do more then every 2 hours. I tend to use longer-lasting drops though. Many I've tried I would have had to use every hour which is why I switched. (I used Thera Tears LiquiGel for the past year or so - can't find them locally anymore - and now I'm using the new Refresh Optive Advanced Sensitive which contain castor oil.)

[chimera]

I keep noticing mention of castor oil in OTC drops. Is it good or bad?

[alisonW]

For me, I consider it good. I have bleph & mgd so my lipid layer is not good. The oil helps boost the lipid layer which in turn helps the aquaos and mucus layers work better - so tears stay longer on your eyes. (Something like that lol! I'm not great with the technical details.) I think there were some studies that said castor oil could be cytotoxic (?) (kills cells?) if used long-term and in large amounts but the relief I get makes me not worry about that. (It's in Restasis as well.)

[MartyM1985]

It depends what I'm doing. If I'm indoors and not looking at a screen, I can go 2-3 hours without dropping.

But if I'm on the computer or watching TV, it's sadly every 15-30 minutes, at least at the moment. Hopefully I continue to improve, as I'm in month four of my recovery.

[Guest]

I had to use drops every 15 minutes for a loooong time, but these days, I often go 2-3 hours between drops.... sometimes longer.

If I didn't use the computer, didn't watch TV, didn't read, and didn't work, then I'd be able to get away with using only Restasis and Serum drop 4 times daily (plus naltrexone drops twice daily).... might be able to ditch the goggles too, but for now, I need them to enable my eyes to tolerate those other things.

[chimera]

allison,
I dont have Blepth but do have MGD with bad oil film. Ive seen refresh optive adv sens & have considered trying it. But I already take Restasis(2x a day) so i dont know if using so many drops with castor oil would be a good idea. Idl ove to find a drop that can give me full releif for two hours straight! actually i would consider that a major improvement in my DES. But so far I havent found one.

MartyM,
I hope you can continue to improve! I take breaks every 5 minutes when I use the computer so that helps me not have to drop as much while Im using it.


SAAG,
are you an everyday google user? I have mine on always except when i shower & sleep. If I didnt have it on Id probaly have to go from dropping every hour to every 30 min. I hope to one day be able to ditch the googles at least when Im with company or shopping/public place. I dont mind wearing them at home alone but its so annoying getting so many looks from people...

[Guest]

SAAG,
are you an everyday google user? I have mine on always except when i shower & sleep. If I didnt have it on Id probaly have to go from dropping every hour to every 30 min. I hope to one day be able to ditch the googles at least when Im with company or shopping/public place. I dont mind wearing them at home alone but its so annoying getting so many looks from people...

I'm the same as you. The only times I'd go without them is if I'm on vacation somewhere really humid... then I can get away without them as long as I'm away from drafts.

Regarding getting looks from people - I agree, it's annoying when some people can't seem to help themselves and stare. Thankfully, they are in the minority. I find the best thing I ever did in the beginning was to train myself to NOT check to see if people were staring - what I didn't see couldn't hurt me haha Also, when in public, I wear my sunglasses Wiley X's, even indoors at work, since although they look strange, they are waaaaay better looking than my Wiley X's with the clear lenses.

Work has gotten busier, and I can no longer handle it with my custom moisture chambers... hence the full protection of the Wiley X's is needed.

[chimera]

lol I just realized I kept writing goggles as googles like the search engine. derp...

I have 2 Wiley Xs too. A clear one & a dark one for the sun. I hate them :P & yet I need them. I wish i had gotten some polarized ones so i can just wear them inside & not be constantly switching. And yeah the clear ones look worse.

the funny thing is I get stares but Ive also gotten some compliments, like "wow those are cool glasses". I dont know if they are being nice or sarcastic. Anyway i always tell them they are for "medical reasons".

[zuzu70]

So custom moisture chambers don't seal all the breezes out? The name "custom moisture chamber" made me think that they'd be the be-all and end-all of glasses. I'm confused.

Anybody want to start a facebook campaign educating the public about dry-eye eyewear?

[Mawsky]

To answer the question about the frequency of drops, I'm with Saag, I can drop every 15-30 min. but at times can go much longer. just depends on the day, humidity, or I don't know what?? I wear contacts everyday, so cant really allow my eyes to dry out too much the contacts get sticky and messed up, would like to have it get longer and longer.....my constant hope

[MartyM1985]

To answer the question about the frequency of drops, I'm with Saag, I can drop every 15-30 min. but at times can go much longer. just depends on the day, humidity, or I don't know what?? I wear contacts everyday, so cant really allow my eyes to dry out too much the contacts get sticky and messed up, would like to have it get longer and longer.....my constant hope

Just be glad you get to wear your contacts at all!

I'm ATD, and I might not get to ever wear them again. I miss them a ton... not just for the sake of vanity but for doing things in general (lifting weights at the gym in glasses with sweat all over me is annoying).

Gonna start looking into PROSE soon though, so there is hope!

[Rebecca Petris]

So custom moisture chambers don't seal all the breezes out? The name "custom moisture chamber" made me think that they'd be the be-all and end-all of glasses. I'm confused.

I don't think anything seals as well as a foam eyecup (except maybe the silicone eyecup on the Ziena but even that has a big gap at the top). Custom moisture chambers don't rest right on the skin all the way around like a well fitting foam cup, at least none of the ones I've seen do.