How to choose between Dwelle, Dakrina and NutraTear?

[portrgirl]

I understand the difference between Dwelle, Dakrina (Dakrina is Dwelle with the added ingredient of vitamin A) and NutraTear, but I'm at a loss for how to choose which one to purchase.

My dry eye is from corneal damage/staining (I make plenty of tears and oil, but not enough mucous now), which was healing slightly using Lotemax. I'm now off Lotemax and on Restasis for about a month and a half but have yet to see the doctor to check my progress on that. It doesn't feel like my eyes are improving and I'm wondering if the Restasis is even making them worse. OTC drops aren't doing much for me.

It sounds like I should try Dwelle or Dakrina since those are known to help heal damage, but which one? And should I still try NutraTear for during the day or would one of the others be just fine for that too?

[liz56]

Hi, portrgirl.

I am not sure what would be best, but since you note that your epithelium is damaged, it might be worth it to start with a bottle of Dwelle. Try it for a few weeks and see how it goes. Nutratear does help to heal the epithelium, but it is a light drop, and it might help to try Dwelle first. If it is too much, then Nutratear might be another option.

I found what worked best for me simply by experimenting. I now use only Dwelle all day and Genteal Gel at night. However, that's just me.

I hope that you find something that works well.

--Liz

[nahzee]

My suggestion is without a doubt, buy them all. I did so, and I completely 100% HATED dakrina and nutratear on first applications, the former hurting like the death, and the latter not lasting half a minute.

That said, dwelle DID work for me, and I can now comfortably interchange all three drops for different situations, although I mostly use dwelle and nutratear.. nutratear is great when I've been in front of an AC or outside and my eyes feel particularly raw, I leave a bottle in the fridge and it helps quite a bit, while dwelle provides more of the 'long term' protection.

For some. nutratear alone is enough, and others still have preferences for dwelle or dakrina or both at different times, ect.

Just... buy it and try it! Anyone with dry eye has spent way more than the 30$ the combination kit costs, and this is completely worth it.

[portrgirl]

Just... buy it and try it! Anyone with dry eye has spent way more than the 30$ the combination kit costs, and this is completely worth it.

That is a very good point. I certainly have...

I think I'm going to order the combo of Dwelle and NutraTear like liz56 recommended since it's cheaper to buy the two together and I'll have the NutraTear available if I dislike the residue from Dwelle during the day. Something about the extra vitamin A in Dakrina scares me.

[Rebecca Petris]

Well-kept secret about the drops:

We don't guarantee you'll like them, but we do guarantee you can get your money back if you don't.

Despite how long I've been using all 3 myself and how much I've talked to Dr. Holly and read about the science, I agree with the others, experimentation is the only way. But for anyone with severe dry eye, I think that Dwelle or Dakrina or both is going to be a must, at least once or twice a day, for the long-term benefits. I guess I think of Dwelle/Dakrina a little like a daily high protein shake, and NutraTear more like Gatorade when you're thirsty. That's not really accurate (since NutraTear is also believed to promote healing) but for those with severe enough dry eye it's how they're likely to be used in practice.

[portrgirl]

Just thought I'd follow up in case anyone might find this helpful.

I did get both Dwelle and NutraTear. My Dwelle is nearly empty and my NutraTear is probably 1/2-3/4 full, so you can tell right there how often I've used both. I did favor the Dwelle, but I don't know that it did anything more special than any other OTC drop I've tried. I didn't have a problem with the residue that some might mention. It did sting on occasion, but never too very badly. I've tried it at night but it never lasted long enough.

I started to use NutraTear as a staple drop throughout the day about a month ago. About 2 weeks after starting to use it frequently my eyes started itching after application. Now it's hit or miss: sometimes it itches and sometimes it doesn't, but when it does it's always in the corners of my eyes. I still think the Walgreens brand of Refresh Plus drops feel *better* than NutraTear. I can't really explain how, except that perhaps they're more "wetting" than NutraTear?

Since it's only been about two months since I started using these regularly and it wasn't until just this month that I made it a habit to put drops in my eyes every 30 mins at work, I can't really say yay or nay to either. I feel like I need to give them more of a try or perhaps try the Dakrina. I don't know that I'll buy the NutraTear again unless the itching after application stops for good.