Preservative free drops irritating me?

[GinaJ]

I only use preservative free drops aside from prescribed meds which as of now am not on any. I am super sensitive. Anyhow I use a lot of rewetting preservative free during the day but I am starting to wonder if they could be making me worse. I know they say they are natural like tears but is there any way you could be allergic to something in them? I don't know what I would do with no drops but am trying to cut down to see. Just wanted to see what others thoughts are. Thanks

[curlygrl31]

Hi Gina!

Very eeery -- I was JUST ABOUT to post the same question. Yes, I, believe that you can be sensitive to all drops. I have tried EVERY eye lubricant, w/ preservatives and preservative-free and I think using drops makes me worse. I stopped all drops this past week and have had much less inflammation and redness. For nine months I have been battling daily episcleritis that waxes and wanes constantly throughout the day and can get very uncomfortable (sectoral redness near nasal area). Dr. Latkany thinks it's ocular rosacea, although I have not responded to any steroids, Restasis, antibiotics, etc.

Anyone else notice drops worsen your condition?

Carrie

[GinaJ]

Thank you and I am sorry for what you are going through too. I also have not responded to any meds. The reason I started to think this was I found a night gel that was preservative free and used that the other night. It made my hurt so much. Also lately when I put the reg wetting drops in it makes my eye feel clogged. If this makes sense. They feel so dry though so what to do? I guess limit? Well good luck

[bernmee]

I am using Systane drops but I have to say when I was in pain (with dry eye and cornea errosions, and after applying the drops I felt as though their was an air bubble or something in my eye...don't know if that was my imagination but they didn't eally give me much comfort, and I often wondered if they were doing the opposite.

have you tried any of Dr. Holly's drops. I used Dwelle last night when my eye was sore and my eye felt reallly silky afterwards...don't know if that was my imagination.

i should say though that I believe I now only have very mild dry eye (I hope) as I am 6 weeks post Lasik surgery and beginning to see a realy improvement in my eye in the last few days, so my sitaution may not apply to yours...but thought I would give you my thoughts.

I think I read somewhere on this site that people say keep looking until you find a drop that works for you, what works for you might not work for someone else.

If you believe in it I have being seeing and EXCELLENT accupuncturist in San Francisco the last two weeks, don't know for sure what has worked, but I was willing to try everything together to get better.

Hope you feel better and find waht works for you,

Bernadette

[rubyslippers]

I have learned that "over dropping" my eyes inflames them and it seems like the drops make them worse. I have also learned to change which drops I use when one starts to bother. Often I can go back to it at a later date and it will provide relief again. Sometimes my eyes feel just as bad with drops as without and so I back off them. I think that at times they are a psychological aide so I can feel like I am doing something. I have noticed that if I can get really busy and immersed in something, I don't drop as much and then my eyes feel better. I can get kind of addicted to putting drops in with the hope that this time the drops will make me feel better. It helped to get permanent plugs because the drops stay on my eyes longer and they work better for that reason.

[suneetk1]

Hi,
I have been using a combination of all three of Dr Holly's drops for about 6wks now and noticed a decrease in redness. In this period, I noticed that when I used some other preser free drop the redness in my eyes would increase.
Ideally I would like to be using preservative free drops, but these seem to be providing more relief.
Bernadette, could you please post a link or some info about your accupuncturist? I too live in the SF Bay Area.
Thanks,

Suneet.

[Rebecca Petris]

Ideally I would like to be using preservative free drops, but these seem to be providing more relief.

That's the dilemma isn't it. To (mis)quote something Dr. Holly often says, the absence of a preservative is not enough to make a drop in any way useful - it's just eliminating one possible source of harm the drop may be posing. To be useful, the drop needs to wet the surface properly, among other things.

[suneetk1]

Well thats what I always hear, that is "preservative free, preservative free, perservative free is best, best, best. You can never overuse these."
Still wanting to know about Bernadette's accupuncturist in the SF Bay Area!
Thanks.

[hkgcomet]

Have you try "Larmarbak" eye drops
its only NaCl + water, with preservation free, having pump bottle

I use it few years ago, it adds water immeditately but very short lasting.

I think it could not irritate or you irritate to salt =.=

[Rojzen]

Just to echo Rebecca's wise and very succinct words on this, I am recalling that Dr. Holly has recommended that even HIS drops not be used more than about 8 times a day, because of the subtle biophysical trauma that the overuse of ANY drop can cause.

Rebecca's more specific point, however, is much more important than my note, here, about frequency of dosing, in that she reminds us that if a drop is not successfully wetting, and also inhibiting de-wetting, it cannot really be contributing to real and lasting stabilization of our tear films.

I am intrigued by the report, here, of improvement after 6 weeks on Dwelle, because it compels me to try, once again, to convince fellow patients here that the effects of Dr. Holly's drops may not, in many cases, be appreciated, or fully appreciated, until they have been allowed to work consistently, and over a period of time.

I will take that a step further and say that my intuition and experience (achieving a nearly 100% remission of my severe MGD-related dry eye, after a period of 10 years of failure) tell me that if one is a candidate for success with the Dr. Holly drops, it is very, very possible that using these drops in a regimen that also includes all manner of other kinds of drops can be defeating to the purpose.

I don't advocate going cold turkey on any drop that produces some temporarily soothing effect, but when nothing, including Restasis and Systane, brought me anything more than momentary symptomatic relief, and I no longer had any logical interest in continuing with such drops, I was nudged to stick with Dwelle and Dwelle, alone, and after 7 months of ups and downs, I finally attained tremendous stability, to the point where I cast my moisture chamber glasses off altogether.

I am now 11 months post-remission, and 18 months post-use of Dr. Holly drops exclusively, and I have yet to experience any relapse of my disabling dry eye.

Put another way, it doesn't surprise me at all that one can feel worse on a steady regimen of preservative-free "artificial tears" (:^).

[hkgcomet]

Just to echo Rebecca's wise and very succinct words on this, I am recalling that Dr. Holly has recommended that even HIS drops not be used more than about 8 times a day, because of the subtle biophysical trauma that the overuse of ANY drop can cause.

Put another way, it doesn't surprise me at all that one can feel worse on a steady regimen of preservative-free "artificial tears" (:^).

8 times a day for ALL eye drops? ~_~

I may need to drop every hour when outdoor. Now I still haven't find way to keep my eye normal outside home...Over a period of time, I will change to "monster" :<

overuse of coz will cause problem. I think the eye would not heal back will continue using of eye drop. I had stop using eye drops at day time for a long period, but need to cover with sunglasses =.=.

[Rojzen]

protective eyewear; Lacrisert?

HKGComet, your mention of using sunglasses may be worth expanding upon. Have you been able to reduce the frequency of eye drop use by wearing protective eyewear, like sunglasses, outdoors?

Possibly, a very good seal against moving air could help your fragile tear film achieve some stability, and break the pattern of your using drops every hour. If you have not already studied the department here on protective eyewear, and the Dry Eye Store's products, these may lead you to some new combined strategy. Protective eyewear is most definitely available in clear lenses, as well as tinted ones. Many of us have worn clear protective eyewear indoors, with great success.

Some members here have recently been discussing use of Lacrisert. This is an older product that, if I'm not mistaken, releases moisture into the eye on a steady or timed basis. Possibly the posts here on Lacrisert might be of interest. I don't know if Lacrisert is available in Asia, but as an older product, it may well be.

[stella]

Hi Rojzen -I am interested to read your quotation of Dr Holly - to use his drops no more than 8 times a day
Does that mean 8 x in 24 hrs?
I have embaked on a trial of clinitas ultra 3(Freshkote in USA) for 6 months to see if i can stabalize my tear film
I have been on the drops now over a month ---
At first i was unsure of them , and resorted to occationally using my old drops -celluvisc/minms artificial tears - In other words i mixed the drops - like you advised against Rojzen
I then figured i would be better sticking to the clinitas , so i have been using clinitas only, for a week or more, and i do think my eyes have improved slightly
My biggest problem with clinitas is burning on instilation especially last thing at night after doing eyelid hygiene - the burning can last 10 minutes or so and i usually fall asleep with them burning but find i am much better in the mornings and can open my eyes easier-

My analysis is that they are a fairly irritating drop to my inflamed eyelids (the blepharitis) but are really good for the tear film
I have always been able to differentiate between the blepharitis symptoms ie prickly itchy sore lids and sensitivity of the actual eye -surface ie burning light sensitivty and foreign body sensation

I still use antibiotic ointment to the lid margins at night and have taken to washing the eyes out after heating and cleansing with similasan anti allergy drops (I still suspect that allergy has a big part to play in my problem,and have not managed to get hold of zaditen pf yet)
I will persevere with the clinitas and let you know

[Stanza]

I definitely benefit from switching my day drops a bit, I have sensitive lids. I have been trying this as I had been having the same problem of after a while I felt like the same drops were making my eyes worse in some ways, but I think with switching at least my eyes are exposed to different 'elements' very un-scientific I know May only work for non-severe where you're not reliant on the same drop. I use Dwelle at night only and I find sometimes it starts to irritate, so then I won't use it for one night then I'm back on track. So I think there is something in the 'sameness' thing.

[hkgcomet]

HKGComet, your mention of using sunglasses may be worth expanding upon. Have you been able to reduce the frequency of eye drop use by wearing protective eyewear, like sunglasses, outdoors?

Possibly, a very good seal against moving air could help your fragile tear film achieve some stability, and break the pattern of your using drops every hour. If you have not already studied the department here on protective eyewear, and the Dry Eye Store's products, these may lead you to some new combined strategy. Protective eyewear is most definitely available in clear lenses, as well as tinted ones. Many of us have worn clear protective eyewear indoors, with great success.

Some members here have recently been discussing use of Lacrisert. This is an older product that, if I'm not mistaken, releases moisture into the eye on a steady or timed basis. Possibly the posts here on Lacrisert might be of interest. I don't know if Lacrisert is available in Asia, but as an older product, it may well be.

I wear sunglass to go outside, not because the sunshine is very strong, main purpose is to cover my eye as I don't know if I changed to "monster" when I go out...

Lot's of member here got a sunglass wearing photo, are you all know my suffer very well? :P

Just say 1 more time, Larmabak is preservative free pump bottled NaCl solution, it seems come from france. It may be the most simple intergration eye drop.