Dwelle Stuck My Eyelashes Shut

[NYer]

Hey All -
I've been trying
Dwelle for the past two weeks but last night was the first time I used it before bedtime (I usually stick to Systane PF drops).

This morning, my lashes were hardened from the dried Dwelle and they were stuck shut. I had to reach over with my eyes closed to grab a Systane vial and pour it onto the crack of my lids and then I could open them. Then, I had to wash my eyelids with soap and water for a while to get it all off.

I only used one drop in each eye before I closed my eyes for bed and I tried to use a relatively small drop. Plus, I wiped my eyelids with a tissue afterwards.

What's up with the stickyness??

Is there some benefit of whatever ingredient that also causes the downside of the stickyness?

Thanks!

[Rebecca Petris]

High polymer content. Try a wet tissue, not dry, or damp cloth next time and a smaller drop if possible.

When I wear Tranquileyes with damp pads it keeps the crystals from forming on the lashes.

[Mcgoldilocks]

Hey All -
I've been trying
Dwelle for the past two weeks but last night was the first time I used it before bedtime (I usually stick to Systane PF drops).

This morning, my lashes were hardened from the dried Dwelle and they were stuck shut. I had to reach over with my eyes closed to grab a Systane vial and pour it onto the crack of my lids and then I could open them. Then, I had to wash my eyelids with soap and water for a while to get it all off.

I only used one drop in each eye before I closed my eyes for bed and I tried to use a relatively small drop. Plus, I wiped my eyelids with a tissue afterwards.

What's up with the stickyness??

Is there some benefit of whatever ingredient that also causes the downside of the stickyness?

Thanks!

Weirdly, I find sometimes my eyes are encrusted in the morning, sometimes not, despite the fact I only ever use 1 drop of Clinitas Ultra 3 (UK Freshkote equivalent). Maybe it has something to do with my Tranquileyes slipping off in the night?

Never ever try Celluvisc 1% if you find this unpleasant!

[GLS]

I always did a light lid scrub after applying them. I know some may think that I am washing it away but I can still tell the difference plus no sticky residue!!

[calli66]

Dwelle--it dries really hard! I can't get used to it at night. So I use lots of Genteal Gel and PF tears and my eyelids get glued together with that stuff, too.

Calli

[NYer]

Perhaps I'll just use Dwelle during the day

[Rojzen]

see Dr. Holly's post on crust formation from Dwelle

Please forgive my not providing the relevant link, but Dr. Holly has posted here, on at least one occasion, regarding the conditions that lead to crust formation from Dwelle. . .It is most definitely NOT a bad sign if the crust is forming. . .

I have come to welcome the eyelids being crusted shut in the a.m. after an overnight dose of Dwelle. . .Personally, I would never opt to use a non-high-oncotic pressure drop to moisten the lashes for purposes of opening them more easily. . .My wondrous remission from severe dry eye came about only after I began to use Dwelle (or FreshKote) exclusively, and stuck with that program for 7 months. This prompted me to conclude that using drops based on completely different principles would only slow my way to recovery. . .Therefore, if my lids/lashes are stuck in the a.m., I simply feel my way to my bathroom, where a container of Burt's Bees baby shampoo/wash awaits. . .and then I gently wash the crust off. . .

Count on me to be loyal to Dwelle. . .It has transformed my life, and the 7-month wait for my remission was worth every second. . .I cannot imagine vacillating back and forth with other kinds of eye drops, at this point. . .Yes, this regimen may not be optimal for everyone, but I feel very strongly that rinsing eyes regularly with eye drops other than Dwelle or FreshKote can set many patients back, or slow their progress. . .I appreciate fully that scleral- and other lens-wearers may need daily rinses with pure saline, or saline to fill the wells of their lenses. ..but for those of us who don't wear lenses, I'm strongly in favor of dealing with the Dwelle crust by lid washing, rather than by rinsing or dousing with drops that may ultimately undo many of the benefits of Dwelle. . .

I've held off, for a long while, saying this. . .but I get frustrated whenever I see another account of a patient combining Dwelle with all manner of other eye drops and gels BEFORE he/she has given Dwelle a real chance to produce actual changes in the cornea and tear film. . .The pain and rawness of severe dry eye naturally lead one to want to try many things at once, in a scattergun approach. . .but my very strong impression, 10 years into the game, is that scattergunning does not produce as LASTING a benefit as does the use of a single product that has been compounded very scientifically to correct the complex of problems that make us miserable. . .

[calli66]

Rojzen--hi!

I tried your idea about using Burts Baby Shampoo---it's working well for me. Thanks for the tip.

I notice definite improvement in my eye comfort even though I only use Dwelle/FreshKote during the day. For night, it produces extreme discomfort. I think the differences we all experience in our response to Holly's drops are due to our various dry eye types. Mine is based on extremely small tear volume with a tendency toward inflammation. My meibomian glands are functioning OK, and I've never had a corneal erosion.

Calli

[Redbirdi]

. .but I get frustrated whenever I see another account of a patient combining Dwelle with all manner of other eye drops and gels BEFORE he/she has given Dwelle a real chance to produce actual changes in the cornea and tear film. . .The pain and rawness of severe dry eye naturally lead one to want to try many things at once, in a scattergun approach. . .but my very strong impression, 10 years into the game, is that scattergunning does not produce as LASTING a benefit as does the use of a single product that has been compounded very scientifically to correct the complex of problems that make us miserable. . .

Wow, I have wondered much about this very principle. After reading your story of remission I am more than a little intrigued.

Now I am considering trying to use only the Dwelle again. But how do you get through the night? It was the use of Genteal Gel that made a big difference in being able to sleep more than 2-3 hours with out needing to get up and lubricate with something/anything… And that was long after the constant practice of sleeping on my back and wearing the Tranquileyes the whole night. I remove the thermoeyes (gel packs) the first time I wake up and go back to sleep with the thin foam and the moisture seal of the foam. (I never have found the all foam inserts very comfortable or hydrating enough for the entire night.)

Back to my question… how can I survive the night and the waking in the morning with the sticking of my lids to my eye surface and the crusting that my own eyes do, along with the additional inclination from the Dwelle? BTW, I have resorted to putting my [Dwelle] drops in at night, waiting 5-10 minutes and then using my lid scrub. It helps some with all the white flakes, but the crusting? That has been a problem for years regardless what drops I use. The Gel has seemed to make a difference. In addition the pain when I awake from the dry and sticky corneal surface -the other and main reason I head for some kind of drops or even my eye stream rinse.

I’d like to hear more of your experience in approaching the remission, etc. Would you consider starting a new thread about your experience?

Thank you so much!
Rose

[Rojzen]

more on this shortly

Rose and other lovely friends: I will come back later today, I hope, to expand on the steps that contributed to my remission through Dwelle, but let me first add a point I left out in the longer thread above, on this: If the crusting in the a.m. is so extensive as to necessitate my washing with dilute (very dilute) Burt's Bees baby shampoo, I STILL add a drop of Dwelle, after washing the lids, before I start my day. .. When the crust is not major, and I can open my eyes on my own, I put the drop of Dwelle in the eyes before my morning lid wash. ..

I will also add, for now, that many mornings, I simply pull my lids open to break the crusty seal, by pulling upward on the upper lid, and downward on the lower. .. In my particular case, I can un-stick the lids this way without producing any friction on the eye surface. . .This may not be possible for everyone. . .

Thank you for allowing me to vent here, and to champion Dwelle so relentlessly. . .Later today, after some some thought, I will offer some possible explanations for why I can get through the night without sticking and trauma, even though I no longer use gels of any kind. . .My picture is different from those with several lacrimal deficiency, but my hunch is that an overnight regimen of repeat instillations of Dwelle may, for some, eventually reduce the symptoms that make one want to grab for the gel. . .

Also, as Rebecca has noted, protective eyewear overnight has the potential to change one's pattern of crusting with high polymers like Dwelle. . .

[gz9gjg]

I do not use Dwelle because of the crusting problem. I find I have near zero crusting with NutraTear so I now use it instead. Plus, the red color reminds me to not use it with my RGPs.

[bernmee]

It wasn't the crusting that stopped me using Dwelle before bed. I didn't see this as a problem as I only have one "bad" eye.

However waking up in the middle of the night with an "aching" eye, a pain that then continued throughout the day was what lead me to Genteal gel. And a good night sleep meant a pain free(ish) day. This was an ache, not an erosion, as thankfully I have not had one of those in 7 weeks.

I use my Dwelle in the morning...I am double plugged in my bad Lasik eye...I wonder if I should be using Dwelle throughout the day even if I don't feel the need. I have had a good ten days with lots of tearing, though a bad day today as the heat has returned to San Francisco. I am afraid that adding drops when my eye is feeling ok and has good tearing will upset the balance in my eye...maybe this is not true when it comes to Dwelle. I have read that article by Dr. Holly explaining the medical basis for Dwelle.

Do you guys use Dwelle throughout the day even when you feel ok?, or what do you use? Or would you just leave well enough alone when things feel ok.

I know all our bodies are different, but sometimes it is so hard to know what to be doing.

I am only 10 weeks post Lasik in one eye...a dry eye baby really...

B.

[liz56]

I am one of those people who uses Dwelle all day, even if I feel okay. When I feel okay, I use it every four hours. when I don't feel okay, I use it a little more often than that.

It is a maintenance plan for me, because I have ebmd. If I were just recovering from an injury, I would probably approach it differently.

Dwelle does tend to leave a deposit on my eyelashes, but since I use it with Genteal Gel at night, I think that the Gel softens it up and allows it to simply roll off like rubber cement (dried) in the mornings.

My eyes are so sensitive, and I've been through so much with them that Dwelle could leave purple stains on my face, and I'd still use it. It helps that much.

--Liz

[calli66]

Bermee, I know what you mean---about not wanting to use Dwelle during the day if you're eyes are feeling OK, that it might upset things.

I think Dwelle and FreshKote are different. They don't upset the balance like other drops. But I think if you're using it more than every 4 hours or so, that might not be good. I try to use it only morning and evening, but sometimes I have to use it mid-day, too.

C

[rubyslippers]

I ordered Dwelle and then cancelled it when I learned contact wearers could not use it. I instead use Gen Teal Gel if I need something at bedtime. Now that I appear to have attained a "remission" (thanks to my wonderful doctor and all his knowledge) I don't even need that more than now and then.