Retaine MGD long term

[Mastiff]

I've been using these drops on a schedule, twice a day, for many months. I wonder if this is safe? I don't want to plug up my glands or something.

[PhoenixEyes]

I imagine the Retaine drops mostly get absorbed by the eye pretty quickly. I blink it in and spread the excess across closed eyelids evenly. Eyelid hygiene and warm compresses can help remove dried oils, debris, bacteria etc. when your natural meibomian gland oils aren't flowing to flush all that stuff away naturally. I use Ocusoft Plus wipes, Optase Tea Tree wipes, iLast Hydraclean Gel, WaterWipes etc. Also Meibopatch warm compress.

There's been some speculation in the past as to whether ointments and such clog meibomian glands but I don't know if there's been an official study on it. At the moment it seems they're actually studying the use of a Vitamin D3 ointment for meibomian glands.

"June 2017 - Vitamin D3 analog ointment for treatment of obstructive meibomian gland dysfunction

The clinical scores for plugging of meibomian gland orifices and lid margin vascularity as well as BUT, meibum grade, and meibomian gland area were significantly improved in obstructive meibomian gland dysfunction patients after the 8-week treatment period compared with pretreatment values. Topical eyelid application was found to be safe as well as to improve the condition of patients."

https://bmcophthalmol.biomedcentral....886-017-0482-7

[MGD1701]

Hi PhonixEyes
I have not used Retaine MGD as it is not available. But I have read that it ranks the best, according to research (not by drug companies)
At moment, EvoTears fits me the best for its pure oil. Systance Balance does not fit me very well as before.
I also tried VisuXL, unfortunately does not fit me too. My dr also confirmes it is not for me but EvoTears.

Do your eyes like Retaine MGD? Have you tried Systance Balance? I dont know the difference. Thanks!

[Photini]

My doctor just mentioned Muro 128 drops to me and suggested I try that. For some reason the bottle comes with all these warnings on it. Does anyone know why there are warnings? It says it's a hypertonicity drop which I don't understand. The package says it's for corneal edema, and as far as I know I don't have that, so unsure why it was recommended. My doctor doesn't communicate, just prescribes and leaves the room.

[PhoenixEyes]

I have not used Retaine MGD as it is not available. But I have read that it ranks the best, according to research (not by drug companies)
Do your eyes like Retaine MGD? Have you tried Systance Balance? I dont know the difference

Retaine MGD is the same as Cationorm so you should be able to find it in Europe. I originally imported Retaine MGD from US and got hit by customs, then I read the box and saw "Made in France, Novasorb by Santen" etc. and realized Retaine MGD is a US re-brand of Santen's Cationorm. So when I ran out of Retaine MGD I got Cationorm from Germany since there's no customs fee. Neither Retaine MGD or Cationorm is available in UK, but worth it to import for me.

My doctor wanted me to have an oil-based drop so suggested Systane Balance which has mineral oil as a side ingredient but I didn't get along well with it. It has Polyquad preservative which is gentler than BAK but it stung for me, everyone's different though. So I tried preservative free Retaine MGD / Cationorm and it doesn't sting. I also tried Emustil (soybean oil) but found it quite thick and clouds my vision, might be OK for overnight use.

My doctor just mentioned Muro 128 drops to me and suggested I try that. For some reason the bottle comes with all these warnings on it. Does anyone know why there are warnings? It says it's a hypertonicity drop which I don't understand. The package says it's for corneal edema, and as far as I know I don't have that, so unsure why it was recommended. My doctor doesn't communicate, just prescribes and leaves the room.

Muro 128 is 2% or 5% sodium chloride which is a natural component of tears. Normal saline has 0.9% sodium chloride in water for example and people sometimes use that during the day. Muro 128 is thicker and so more used overnight as it can blur vision temporarily.

Hypertonic and hypotonic might refer to water balance, too much or too little. Sodium chloride works by attracting the water and maintaining balance. Corneal edema refers to swelling which can occur with too much fluid / water. Muro 128 is often prescribed to help prevent abrasions and erosions occurring from night time dryness, which can be painful when opening eyes in the morning or wake people up at night.

Also apparently lipids (like meibomian oils) are hydrophobic (repelled by water), so that they can settle on top of the aqueous layer, so the sodium chloride maintaining water balance maybe also interacts with the lipid layer / meibomian oils but it's over my head.

[Mastiff]

Yeah, muro 128 is a completely different animal. It's meant to treat swelling, not to directly improve the tear film like these others. My doc suggested it because my vision is blurry on waking and she suspected edema, but I think it's just dryness. The 128 stings and didn't help in my case.

[MGD1701]

Hi PhonixEyes
Thanks so much for your help. I thought Retaine MGD is made by Ocusoft/USA? So confusing!

[PhoenixEyes]

Hi PhonixEyes
Thanks so much for your help. I thought Retaine MGD is made by Ocusoft/USA? So confusing!

They licensed the rights to market and distribute it from Santen (previously known as Novagali Pharma):

"2011 - OCuSOFT , Inc., an ophthalmic pharmaceutical research, development and supply company today announced an exclusive multiyear agreement with Ardeo Health, LLC to distribute a novel dry eye therapy under license from Novagali Pharma S.A. of Evry, France, Nova23041. It will be marketed and distributed in the United States and Canada as Retaine MGD Ophthalmic Emulsion under a brand license from OCuSOFT , Inc. Utilizing Novagali’s Novasorb Technology —a proprietary cationic process of binding positively charged ions to the negatively charged ocular surface"
http://www.prnewswire.com/news-relea...123820724.html

"2015 - Ocusoft has announced published positive results from a clinical investigation of their flagship dry eye product, Retaine. Retaine™ ophthalmic emulsion (marketed outside the United States as Cationorm®, Santen) is a cationic emulsion that contains mineral oil and targets all three layers of the tear film."
http://eyewiretoday.com/2015/03/04/o...y-with-retaine

[Hokucat]

Hi. I just wanted to comment that sometimes with all these drops, gels, lid scrubs, etc. that we put in our eyes, it may help to rinse with a few drops of preservative-free saline.

After I do my lid scrub a.m. and P.M., I rinse my eyes with several drops of Purilens PF saline, and my eyes feel refreshed and soothed. I've noticed it also helps my scleral lenses feel more comfortable too, probably because using the saline as a rinse safely washes away any remnants of lid scrub or debris on my eyes.

I also rinsed with Purilens, waiting 20-30 minutes each time after I had to use drops with BAK briefly for another eye condition. I knew BAK can seriously permanently damage the eye surface, but there was no near-term alternative drop my doctor could give me. I also knew using Restasis, Lotemax, and other drops longer term in the past with chemicals and/or BAK/preservatives always made my eyes feel worse. So my doctor agreed subsequent delayed rinsing with Purilens enabled me to get the benefit of the drop, while limiting the preservative impact.

So PF saline could be helpful for more than using with sclerals, for those who might not be aware. This forum's shop has several sizes including small vials of PF saline available, and also available elsewhere online.

https://www.dryeyeshop.com/mobile/ca...ee%20saline%20

[Sandyeyes]

I imagine the Retaine drops mostly get absorbed by the eye pretty quickly. I blink it in and spread the excess across closed eyelids evenly. Eyelid hygiene and warm compresses can help remove dried oils, debris, bacteria etc. when your natural meibomian gland oils aren't flowing to flush all that stuff away naturally. I use Ocusoft Plus wipes, Optase Tea Tree wipes, iLast Hydraclean Gel, WaterWipes etc. Also Meibopatch warm compress.

There's been some speculation in the past as to whether ointments and such clog meibomian glands but I don't know if there's been an official study on it. At the moment it seems they're actually studying the use of a Vitamin D3 ointment for meibomian glands.

"June 2017 - Vitamin D3 analog ointment for treatment of obstructive meibomian gland dysfunction

The clinical scores for plugging of meibomian gland orifices and lid margin vascularity as well as BUT, meibum grade, and meibomian gland area were significantly improved in obstructive meibomian gland dysfunction patients after the 8-week treatment period compared with pretreatment values. Topical eyelid application was found to be safe as well as to improve the condition of patients."

https://bmcophthalmol.biomedcentral....886-017-0482-7

hi can you confirm if these are th right ones, my German isn’t cracking thanks