Soothing EyeMist

[laine]

I have been using Nature's Tears Eyemist by Biologics and find it helps relieve some of the dryness and pain. I do not take salagen anymore and I am sensitive to eyedrops, so this is better than nothing. I find it helps to use it in conjunction with Bion Tears (the least irritating eyedrops for me).
Elaine

[Tony Barnes]

Interesting - has anyone else got any experience with this product??

I've had a look at their site, particularly the "research" (http://www.naturestears.com/research_docs.php) and am a little concerned by how they're touting this treatment (sorry to "bunny ear" research, but they've just written the same thing out 3 times as far as I can tell, none of which is actual research on the product...)

It works on the premise that it's getting more moisture into the tear film, but doesn't do anything about keeping it there. The explaination it gives for how the moisture enters the tear film is a worrying indiciator of this - "Mist droplets penetrate the tear film's outer lipid layer much like vinegar penetrates salad oil: the oils parts, the droplets pass, and the oil closes" - sorry, but that means that you've got a deficient lipid layer, and whatever you are putting in is going to evaporate out again. If the interaction border (i.e. phospholipid layer) is functioning correctly, polar water molecules will not get past the non-polar lipids - or at least not to any great effect (the aqueous layer is evaporating outwards for starters..)

Humid environments are good for DES not because they will allow more water to enter into the aqueous layer, instead they increase the vapour pressure in the surrounding area, thus reducing the amount of liquid that would evaporate from the aqueous layer. They are putting forward a different idea - which may in fairness impact on the aqueous layer as outlined above, but is not a long term solution.

It will be of similar effect to drops - with no long term benefits. However, it has picked up some good plus point in the no-contact, ease of use, preservative-free stakes - and looks like it may be a cheap option??

Interesting though!!

[Tony Barnes]

Hmm, just found this - http://www.empoweredhospital.com/media_970.html

Sceptiscism gaining...

[Rebecca Petris]

If someone's getting some temporary relief with it AND their doctor does not feel it's likely to do them any harm I'm not going to argue with it - relief is good. However, I feel just as you do Tony about the manufacturer's claims. Not credible. And how that product found its way into the recent Wall Street Journal article is beyond me.

[calli66]

I tried this product with and without contacts. Pretty useless: I think I sprayed 2-3 times, kept the can around for 6 months, then threw it away. It felt like I was spraying tap water on my eyes--didn't seem to be buffered or have a saline component-- it irritated my eyes like tap water irritates them. I don't know what's in it, really, but that's what it felt like---plain water. Expensive, too. I think one would get the same results with a spritzer bottle filled with sterile water.

Ladies do this all the time--the product is called "toner." Increases the local humidity around your face and refreshes you for about 5 minutes.

C66