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**neil0502** · 02-Dec-2006, 21:52

Originally posted by shells

1. I dont think I'm putting them in right. The directions say to put the lacrisert on the applicator and then it looks like the lacrisert is just supposed to fall off the applicator into your eye? It took me forever to get the darn thing off the end of the applicator, and then after that, I just kind of used the tip to push it into place. Is that the norm, or am I missing some secret here of how it is supposed to come perfectly off the applicator and right into place?

Shells,

I really hope they work out for you. They don't have a lot of downside and they're a pretty cool concept. Best of luck!

Insertion: It's an art ... and they're a pain to put in at first. I found it helped a BIT if you really did wet the applicator first, but ... yeah ... I had to 'scrape' (painless) the thing against my lower lid to get it to drop in. Incidentally, I think the absolute best spot for the lacrisert is in the dead center of the lower lid. It's the deepest spot. The depth matters.

2. Also, when you put it in, it looks like a small rod. How long is it supposed to keep that shape and stay hidden. For a while, if I just pulled my lid down slightly, I could not see it because I had placed it deep into the bottom of my eyelid. However, after about 6 hours, just pulling my lid down slightly, I could see that it had turned into a big glob and was just hanging out in plain view. Is this normal? Or is it supposed to stay smaller and hidden? When it does get larger does that mean that it is time to come out, and if so, do you just rinse it out with saline or use the applicator to grab it and pull it out?

Warmth melts them. How long it takes? I don't recall. The reason for putting them in that deepest part that I referenced above is so that--when they DO expand--they have the least chance of popping out. Resist, if possible, the temptation to pull the lid down once the thing is in place and situated properly. One time, you'll pull the lid down and the thing will simply pop out. It will happen when you're in a Home Depot or something really inconvenient. Ask me how I know.

It's NEVER "time to come out." They're supposed to stay in there until they're fully melted and disappear. You can TAKE them out to put in new ones if need be, but they're "set it and forget it" otherwise. No need to use the applicator (I wouldn't) for removal. Just use your finger and sort of nudge it out from the bottom of your eyelid. It should be easy to do.

Again, I hope they work for you. I'm glad you were able to get them easily, too. There were a few tough years, but -- for whatever reason -- they're all behind us!

Neil

**Lucy** · 02-Dec-2006, 23:44

Shelley-I'm skippin' over Neil's post because his is probably different from mine and I'll just tell you my experience with them a long time ago. HOWEVER..also let me add that I would not be afraid to try them again,, but doubt I'd have any better luck than the first time. But since I've gone about 6 years since I've used them and am even more dry, you never know.

From what I remember......
1. I lost more of the little buggers on the bathroom floor than ever made it to the pouch of my eye. They are so tiny and slippery, they just melt and fall off the inserter. (I can't even remember what that looked like.)

2. Mine would melt just enough so they would be like a blob of jello and sit right in my line of vision. So you have a floating thick piece of jello-like substance in your eye. Try looking through jello if you think floaters are bad.

3. I never seemed to have the buggerss really melt..........and I told my doc that "I must not have enough moisture to melt them." His response: "it doesn't take moisture, but heat to disolve them." Well, then my eyes were not warm enough.

I think they are worth looking into and I just might be in the spot now where I'd look through a blob of jello if my eye wasn't so painful. On the other hand, sewing the eye shut would work too. For me, I mean, not you.

Let us know and I have my fingers crossed for you.
Lucy

**shells** · 03-Dec-2006, 09:32

Thanks Lucy and Neil! I wet the applicator extra good this morning, and insertion was MUCH less of an episode than yesterday. I will not pull down my lids today to check them, it is hard though since that is my normal drop routine. I'll have to change that around a bit I suppose. I did have some blurred vision yesterday, but nothing major....certainly better than the dryness for me atleast. Yesterday when they did get glob like, I did not have a foreign body sensation or blurred vision, so maybe they would have been OK to just leave as is atleast for a while longer. I did something dumb though and decided to try to take a nap with them in without my genteal gel.

They HAD to come out after that! I'll keep you guys posted on whether or not they work for me. Thanks again!!

**neil0502** · 03-Dec-2006, 09:49

You reminded me: if I DID try to put in a fresh set before bedtime, I ALWAYS had to remove them when I woke up--primarily because they didn't stay in the lower conjunctival fornix (what?), where I had put them.

Eventually, I just stopped using them at night. For me, the morning Lacriserts worked pretty much all through my waking hours.

**jknueve** · 06-Dec-2006, 11:15

Lacriserts

Hi Shells,

I just read your post today. I have been wearing Lacriserts everyday now for about 3 years. I would not make it thru the day without them.
I do not use the applicator to put the lacriserts in. I just get my finger damp and the Lacrisert will stick right to it. (and you won't have the problem of sticking your eye with the applicator). This is what I have found that works best. I put a drop of Theratears in each eye. I then dampen my finger and touch it against the lacrisert still in the opened package. I then pull down my lower lid and just touch the lacrisert to the middle of my lower lid and then I gentley lift my lower lid over the lacrisert and it disappears down in the well of the lower lid. I leave them in all day and most of the night. Before going to bed I put one drop of Theratears in each eye and gentley pull down my lower lid. The Lacrisert rises to the top of the lower lid and I gentley touch the Lacrisert with a tissue and it comes right out. (I have found that I need the drop of Theratear to get the Lacrisert out comfortably). I do not leave the Lacriserts in when I nap or at night. After about 14 hours I need to take them out because if they get too plump and gooey they are very uncomfortable for me. I also have found that if you need to take the lacriserts out shortly after you have put them in you really have to pull the lower lid down really far. After they have been in for just a short time they are the shape of a round little ball and are way deep down in the lower lid.
Sorry this is so long but I wanted to try and answer all of your questions. Please email me if you have any other concerns.

FaithHope.....

**shells** · 31-Dec-2006, 08:47

I just thought I would post a quick update on the lacriserts. In the last month, I've probably only given them about a try on about 8 different occasions. The first 2 days I wore them, I really thought I had something good going. My eyes were moist and felt normal at times! Maybe those were just bound to be good days anyway, and the lacriserts made them even better. The next few days I had some burning, and blurring of vision. The blurred vision wasn't that awful, and if my eyes had been comfortable it would have been worth it. I'm not sure why I experienced burning. I thought that the lacriserts were made out of the same ingredient used in the genteal products, and I use genteal gel every night with no problems. I especially noticed that after removing the lacriserts, my eyes were especially irritated. I haven't tried them much lately since I in the process of trying to find a new OTC lubricant, but I'll probably give them a go again at some point.

I probably kept them in for about 6-8 hours with the first few hours being the most comfortable with the clearest vision. I think that maybe in certain circustances they might help, I just haven't quite figured out what those are yet. So, I'm not totally ruling them out as an option, but they certainly aren't an every day miracle for me. I seemed to do better outdoors with them, than at my desk at work.

I did not have any trouble getting them, and they were covered by my insurance. So, if you can get them easily, I would recommend atleast trying them. It really is an interesting idea, and had I had that right combination of tears/heat or whatever it is that you need for them to dissolve at the right pace, I could see how they might provide great relief.

-Shells

**Julie1** · 31-Dec-2006, 12:53

Hi Shells,

I was wondering if you used artificial tears while you were wearing the lacriserts. Is it even possible to do so? I was thinking about asking my eye doctor if I could try the lacriserts. I need something to help me get through my day at work. I'm wondering if lacriserts might not be an option because I use a computer all day at work and it sounds like the lacriserts make your vision blurry. How blurry do the lacriserts make your vision?

I wish I had my own private office so that I could crank up the humidity at work. I feel fine at home but that's with the humidity at about 50%. At work, the humidity is about 30%, and I have a humidifier in my cubicle. I can get the humidity up about 5%, which helps a little bit. Did you try the lacriserts at work? Is that where you had the most problems with the lacriserts? I guess I can ask my eye doctor about getting a prescription. I really do not have anything to lose.

-Julie

**shells** · 01-Jan-2007, 20:07

Hi Julie,

I also work at a computer all day, and have a humidifier in my cubicle. I've never tested the humidity there, so I really don't know if it helps or not, but I figure it can't hurt. I did use artificial tears when I had the lacriserts in. My normal routine is to pull my lower eyelid down before I put drops in, so I had to do things a bit differently when I was wearing the lacriserts. You really don't want to pull your lids down too much or else the lacrisert might pop out of place. I am actually curious what other people have to say about this, but I was wondering if maybe the type of drop you use when wearing lacriserts might make a difference. I know that people have said before not to mix products, and when I was trying the lacriserts I was still using the Systane Free which has a different active ingredient. I was wondering if maybe I would do better using Genteal drops with the lacriserts since they both have Hypromellose in them. Does anyone have any ideas on this?

As for the blurred vision, I think it really all depends on how your eyes react to them. There could be no blurring or lots of blurring depending on how they dissolve in your eyes. I have a very low schirmers ,so i think that is part of the reason they are not ideal for me. I think if I had more natural tears for the thicker tears from the lacriserts to mix with, I would have been better off. I did try them at work and did have some trouble viewing my computer screen, but that was just me. For me, the blurring got worse as the day went on and as the lacrisert got larger and started to migrate out from where it was supposed to be. If your doc would give you a prescription, I say go for it. It can't hurt to try them. I would think that after a few days you would be able to tell whether or not you could tolerate them. Good luck!

-Shells

**Julie1** · 05-Jan-2007, 09:19

Thanks, Shells! My doctor just called in a prescription for the lacriserts. I will keep you updated as to how they work for me.

-Julie

**Julie1** · 17-Jan-2007, 20:35

I just wanted to post the results of my lacriserts trial. I tried the lacriserts three times, and each time they made my eyes more red and irritated. I really did not find that the lacriserts provided with relief, and I needed to use artificial tears more frequently. I think that the lacriserts a worth a try since they are inexpensive (if you have insurance) and there really isn't anything to lose.

**Lucy** · 18-Jan-2007, 16:33

Thanks for reporting, Julie. It's important info for others seeking info on Lacriserts. Seems over the years, I've seen few people who really liked them. As you say, however, they are worth a try. Ya' just never know!
Lucy

**shells** · 19-Jan-2007, 13:05

Hi Julie,

Sorry the lacriserts didn't work for you either.

I wonder if it is the ingredient in them that causes the irritation. Too bad we can't just take our favorite drop and have them make a lacrisert out of that!

-Shells

**elaine** · 21-Jan-2007, 13:23

Lacriserts

I was very excited to get lacriserts and they did provide some moisture at first; more like a gooyness than tears but at least a lubrication. Then my eyes seemed to get adjusted to them, and they stopped melting. My opth. said I could go ahead and put in a couple in each eye at a time, or try putting in some genteal gel first. I found if I used eye drops and then put them in, they'd float out like little canoes. Plus they feel a little like tampons when I used to put them in a little wrong (with menopause I got to trade tampons for dry eye gels. I didn't know how lucky I was!) This thread is inspiring me to fiddle with them some more( I'll try wetting the applicator or using my finger.) before throwing them in the back of the closet with the unused Restasis.
Best wishes,
Elaine

**Danny_** · 28-Jan-2008, 07:35

I've just started a trial of lacriserts. I'll keep you updated. Like the others, I've had problems getting them in. My opht says that I have loose eyelids so that may be why. It took me about half an hour to get the left one in this morning and they are slippery little suckers. I lost one on the bathroom floor.

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