Dwelle and Dakrina Samples/Irritation

[holly]

I recently ordered samples of the Dwelle and Dakrina drops. They burn and sting my eyes on contac and later coat my lashes with a small white plastic looking small string/thread like film. Has anyone else experienced this problem? I've discontinued their use because of this. Any suggestions?

[Rebecca Petris]

Certainly discontinue anything that irritates your eyes.

Regarding burning and stinging: If the epithelium (outer surface of the cornea) is in poor condition, burning and stinging will result from many eyedrops, over the counter and prescription.

Some people experience residue from artificial tears, including Dwelle/Dakrina. This can usually be avoided by careful application and/or careful wiping of the lashes after application.

MOST IMPORTANTLY: Are you under medical care? Have you been diagnosed with dry eye and if so are there any other ongoing conditions besides? Has your doctor recommended artificial tears and are you getting any other treatments?

[Rebecca Petris]

Certainly discontinue anything that irritates your eyes.

Oops, that was very poorly phrased. (LOL, how many of us would stop things that we have been prescribed if we were limited to those that never irritate our eyes!) Over-the-counter artificial tears of any kind fall under the same FDA monograph and don't pose risks to your eyes, but if you're experiencing serious discomfort without benefits, there's not much point continuing it.

[jcorbett]

I find the drop will burn or sting my eyes sometimes and sometimes not. I would imagine it depends on the dryness of my eyes at that particular time. Usually it is worse in the evening.
However, for me it is a mild sting and goes away quickly. Some otc drops do this also, some don't.
I still like these drops better than any others I have tried.

[holly]

I have "chronic dry eye syndrome" according to optometrist. I am currently using Restasis, Endura, Celluvis, Lacrilube ointment at night. I usually switch around with the OTC drops but use the Restasis twice daily every single day. So far, not much of anything has helped and if I try to wear my contacs (I have Acuvue Advance and Focus Day N Night) one day, I pay for it the next day! I always had eye alleriges but they were pretty well controlled with Singlular or Clarinex. Now, I don't take any of those but the dry eye came and looks like it's here to stay!

[gudrun45]

Haven't been here for a while and so this comment is a little late as far as the thread goes.
But, I wanted to mention that I just got samples for Dakrina and Dwelle from my eye doctor. The first thing I noticed almost right away after using Dakrina is that my vision suddenly seemed crystal clear. That was wonderful! However, when putting the drops in, they burn for several minutes, and yesterday after a minute or two from putting them in, it felt like I had sand under my eyelids. Very bad feeling! I ran for my Tears Naturales and put them in, which took care of the problem right away. Now I'm kind of afraid of trying Dakrina again.
I've also tried to use Dwelle at night instead of Genteal Gel. It seems to work okay, but then the next morning my bad eye (the right eye is way drier than the left) waters a whole lot. Is that to be expected?
When I first noticed dry eye symptoms, my doctor told me to use Systane. She neglected to tell me about preservatives and not to use it more than five times a day. I overused it and poisoned my eyes. They turned bright red and watered continuously. Needless to say I can't ever use Systane again, but I wonder if maybe I developped a sensitivity toward preservatives and that's why my results with Dakrina and Dwelle are the way they are?
Sorry this is so long!

Gudrun

[jcorbett]

For myself, I notice that Dwelle can sting at times. Sometimes it does, sometimes it doesn't. I suspect that it stings when my eye is worse. And, yes, I notice that my eyes actually feel worse for a while after using them, particularly in the evening when my eyes are drier. This seems to happen more frequently lately and I don't know why. Perhaps someone else will have an answer. I do think I have read where these drops are thicker.
Nutratear does not bother my eyes like this.
As for the watering eyes, I believe Kyle mentioned that. If she doesn't see this, you might want to contact her and ask her about it.

[Rebecca Petris]

I've also tried to use Dwelle at night instead of Genteal Gel. It seems to work okay, but then the next morning my bad eye (the right eye is way drier than the left) waters a whole lot. Is that to be expected?

I am hoping maybe Dr. Holly could comment on this one. I know it's come up before.

I wonder if maybe I developped a sensitivity toward preservatives and that's why my results with Dakrina and Dwelle are the way they are?

I think it's very unlikely. The preservative in them should not irritate even sensitive eyes.

[Rebecca Petris]

For myself, I notice that Dwelle can sting at times. Sometimes it does, sometimes it doesn't. I suspect that it stings when my eye is worse. And, yes, I notice that my eyes actually feel worse for a while after using them, particularly in the evening when my eyes are drier....
Nutratear does not bother my eyes like this.

I think you're right on about drops feeling different depending how your eyes are at the time.

All products have the potential to feel differently at different times depending on the state of your epithelium and how your eyes are doing generally.

My personal experience with many years use of Dwelle, Dakrina and NutraTear is that it is very, very useful to have all three because I just let my eyes tell me which one I need. Since they are similarly formulated (same active ingredients, though Dwelle/Dakrina have three and NutraTear has two) they can be rotated, even within the same day, without problems or confusion about what's causing what.

There are times when I know that Dwelle or Dakrina is definitely too much for me, period. And although I love my Dakrina dearly and it is the drop that rescued me from desperation when post LASIK and pregnant three years ago, I have had specific instances when I put it in and it felt awful. But you come to recognize the patterns of how your eyes feel and how different drops feel in them. When the heavy-hitters are too much, I stick to NutraTear exclusively. When that isn't quite enough, I add some Dakrina and/or Dwelle to the routine.

[Kyle]

It's really late, but I just saw this post so I wanted to put my two cents in. Yes, as Jenny mentioned, I did try the Dwelle and my left eye ran non-stop. I mean it literally looked like I was crying! I tried to go to work, but my boss actually sent me home because he said he couldn't have people thinking I was crying all the time. This was quite a while ago and many, many products ago, so I'm not sure if something would change if I tried it now. I know my left eye is my worst eye and I can't even get upper plugs in that eye because I have that same non-stop crying effect. I also know I can't handle steroid drops in either eye.
I did e-mail Dr. Holly when that happened to me and he couldn't explain why. I don't know..as we all constantly say on this site...some things work for some people and some work for others. I know my doctor now (Dr. Sall) swears by the GenTeal drops and Restasis so that's basically all I use and my eyes seem to have settled down considerably. Thank God!!!!
I hope you find whatever products work for you adn you find peace of mind soon.
Take care,
Kyle

[Cindy]

by Rebecca:

But you come to recognize the patterns of how your eyes feel and how different drops feel in them. When the heavy-hitters are too much, I stick to NutraTear exclusively. When that isn't quite enough, I add some Dakrina and/or Dwelle to the routine.

That's EXACTLY the same for me. Right now I am using Dwelle in the morning and at night, Dakrina once during the day and NutraTear the rest of the day. Not so long ago I was saying "Oh, I only use NutraTear"...and here I am back to mixing and matching again. The closest thing that I have to a pattern seems to be that I use and prefer NT during the warmer months. LOTS of it .

[Gaye]

Dwelle/Dakrina and NutraTear

I find the same goes for me. Some days I have to use Dwelle all day and sometimes I only need NutraTear during the day and Dwelle at night. For some reason, I don't care for Dakrina. Unfortunately, I am so dry that I have to use GenTeal Gel at night, no matter what. I have also found that on some days the drops burn and I always know it is because my eyes are drier or more irritated. I stupidly went houseboating without proper eye protection this weekend and set things off worse than they have been for a while. (The wind in my eyes really bothered me even though the boat could only go 5 mph.) So when I used the drops, they burned more than usual. This also caused my Trigeminal Neuralgia to flare up. This won't last though and in a day or two I will be back to a normal (normal for me anyway). I will just have to use Dwelle more.