Anyone else have delayed reaction to Systane Gel nighttime Protection or Genteal Gel?

[Robyn769]

I thought I had found my relief finally when I discovered the Systane Gel Nighttime protection. I went for a full 30 days without an erosion then I suddenly noticed I was waking up with SEVERE MONSTOR RED EYES!! I've never seen anything like it in my life. I mean both eyes blood red, especially at the bottom of the eye where most of the gel would rest. It has to be some sort of allergic reaction, but why so delayed? As soon as I figured it out, I stopped obviously.

I thought I have to have another gel, maybe preservative free this time, and I found Genteal Gel Severe, and I now see it has the EXACT same ingredients. The only difference I see is on the label where it says "Preservative Free in the Eye" with "GenAqua" So I'm thinking this is just the EXACT same gel as the Systane right? No way it could be any different since ingredients are identical. I was thinking of maybe doing a test in my one good eye (without the erosion) to test it, but I'm scared. Common sense tells me the exact same thing is going to happen with the Genteal.

So has anyone else had a delayed and severe red reaction to either the Systane Gel Nighttime Protection, or the Genteal Gel with "Gen Aqua?" Aren't they the EXACT same item?

I'm at a complete and utter point of desperation with my RCE. I've seen three cornea specialists in 9 months, and I'm on the new Xiidra, Lotemax, and Doxycycline, so far no improvement at all but it hasn't been long enough for the Xiidra to work and I just started the Lotemax yesterday. I keep asking myself, how will the eye ever heal if it rips away the healed cells every single night/morning!

[Hokucat]

Hi Robyn. I never used Systane Gel, but did use Genteal Gel Severe for two years and didn't have much problem, EXCEPT when I used an excessive amount per application and continuously with no break, my eyes would get a little red. Plus I know it says preservative-free in the eye, but think likely some was getting in my eye, so learned to put in as few drops as I could in each eye to still get comfort.

Has your doctor ever discussed using autologous serum tears with you? These are prescription eye drops made from your own blood plasma, which apparently has similar properties to your tear film, and therefore supposed to help heal the surface of your eye like healthy tears normally would. So these are natural and preservative-free. I think there are several posts on this site related to autologous tears if you want to find out more about it. I used it for a couple years, so know about it as well.

Also, there is an oral prescription pill, Evoxac (generic name Cevimeline) that makes your eyes and mouth moister, but is usually prescribed by rheumatologists for auto-immune patients with dry eyes and mouth. I use this as needed, it makes my eyes quite a bit moister when I have a drier eye day.

Do you know the probable reasons for your RCE? I've been through the whole gamut of treatments...see my post last week under Dry Eye Triumphs "Lemon and Green Tea..." At times, like you, I was on 3-4 meds at the same time. It was not until I was able to narrow my situation to my meibomian glands producing very thick Crisco-like oil (vs. healthy flowing oil) that clogged my glands, was I able to start focusing on the treatment and diet I needed to get much better.

[farmgirl]

Hi Robyn: I can't speak to the issue of corneal abrasions but I can tell you that I have not had one since I started using autologous serum drops which was years ago. I realize that these are not always easy to source locally so that could be a problem for you. I can however tell you that my eyes react the same as yours to the nightime gels, not sure if it is the chemical or the carrier ointment but they will be blazing red in the AM. It is absolutely not uncommon to develop a problem after a lenghty period of time with continued use of anything. For me Systane Ultra was my go to drop but I cannot tolerate even that now. Pretty much all I use now is non-preserved saline and I have to say my eyes feel better than before since I have quit pouring chemicals into them.

What I do for nightime is everytime I wake up I instill a drop in the eyes. If that became essential but I didn't habitually wake up then I would set an alarm to awake me rather than go all night with no lubrication and waking up with erosions. The other suggestion is to use nightime goggles like tranquil eyes or onyix goggles. I am not sure but they used to be available through this website. I have a pair of the onyix and they are very comfortable to wear. You can pack the inside with damp gauze to apply pressure to the eyelid if you want to try keeping your eyes from coming open in the night (everybodys do). Also it would be helpful to sleep with a humidifier beside the bed....F/G

[Robyn769]

Hokucat, thanks so much for your thoughtful response. It is very helpful. I too suspected maybe I was using to much of the gel, and yes, its the exact same ingredients as the Genteal Gel. I was really putting a lot of it in there because it seemed to be working so well until it turned on me!!! I was using it every night, two applications, and lots of it. So maybe I could try a small amount to see how I do. The Muro just doesn't seem to work for me. I wake up with an erosion almost every night with it.

I'm glad you mentioned the serum tears. My doctor just gave me a prescription for them, but I wasn't in a hurry to get them made up because i just felt like it was going to be another disappointment, but I think I will go ahead and try them. I've got nothing to lose at this point. I haven't heard of the Evoxac. I have an appointment with my regular doctor on 1/3 so I will mention that to her to see if I can try it. My eye doctor also asked me to get tested for Sjogrens Syndrom. My glands seem to be ok. It really has been like eeny, meeny, miney, moe at which thing I'm going to try each night, and now I've run out of options. I think I will try a small amount of the Gel again tonight in my good eye to see how it does. I really liked the gel.

[Robyn769]

Hi Farmgirl, I'm glad you also mentioned the serum tears. I do have a resource for them and I will go full steam ahead starting on Monday to get that process going. I was kind of thinking maybe getting back to the basics also with just plain old saline since my eyes have gotten so much worse since I started trying to make them better! So frustrating! Unfortunately, Ive not had any luck with the tranquil eyes or the quartz/onyx goggles. I have both kinds. I ended up having better luck with a plain old $2 eye patch and some first aid tape and securing it to my face! I think though I will try putting the moist gauze in them to see if that works any better. I also bought a large humidifier for my bedroom and my office, but it doesn't seem to be helping but I guess it has to be better than not using it even if I'm not able to detect much of a difference. Thanks again

[farmgirl]

I am guessing that you have a full blown allergy to whatever is in the gel and I will be surprised if you can tolerate even a little. Switching brands may help but if the ingredients are exactly the same.....hmmm, not so likely. There is information on the forum regarding eye products and ingredients

http://www.dryeyezone.com/encyclopedia/lubricants.html

plus I also found this very interesting link on the forum which relates to use of night time gels and ointments.

http://www.eyeworld.org/article.php?sid=4449

You seem to have tried quite a lot. Have you tried punctual plugs? I am quadra plugged and it has made a huge difference. Actually cauterized uppers and plugged lowers. By the way, I do have Sjogrens, but not discoverable by bloodwork only a biopsy. What I am saying is, if you get tested for Sjogrens and the bloodwork comes back negative I would ask for a biopsy. It left me with a small numb spot on my lip but that was, in my opinion, a small price to pay for a definitive answer....F/G

[partialpaul]

Robyn769,

That sounds exactly like what happened to me 3 weeks into Xiidra. I had been on Restasis for several months with success and decided to try Xiidra...the super red and miserable feeling eyes started all of a sudden at about the third week. It took a month or so to heal after stopping Xiidra...Lotemax didn't touch it, had to go to a stronger drop.

[Hokucat]

Hi Robyn. Looks like lots of good information has been coming your way! Good luck to you, and keep us posted if any of these suggestions work for you. Too bad there is not one sure fire thing that works for everyone.

[Hokucat]

Hi Robyn. I don't know if you saw another recent post on adverse reaction to Genteal, but someone suggested to them VitA-POS as a preservative-free alternative. Looks like this has completely different ingredients than Genteal. I've never tried it, but wanted to mention to you.

[xerieyes]

Hello Robyn. I am unable to use any of the nighttime ointments. They all have the same ingredient so if one brand doesn't work, it makes sense that none of them would for me. I can get by for like two days then my eyes are red and burn thereafter. Consequently I no longer if try the nighttime lubes.

[Keely]

Hi Robyn, I don't know if you have found a solution, but I was unable to use overnight gels either. I was originally prescribed Vitapos and it made things far worse. If you are having regular erosions, can you get checked for MDF dystrophy? When mine was confirmed I was told not to use any gels and stick to eyedrops, even if it meant waking every couple of hours to put them in. Apparently it is a problem with the consistency. I'm now down to one erosion a week instead of nightly, so it is a huge improvement.

Would any of the cornea specialists put in a bandage lens for you? I had one in for three months with regular checks, which allowed the eye to heal. It was a life saver for me.