Lacriserts

[FaithHope]

I first heard about Lacriserts from a woman who has been wearing them for
over 20 years. She has sojerns.
I have been using Lacriserts for three years now. I received a prescription for them from my Family doctor since my optometrist
and ophthalmologist did not (would not) recommend them. (they are in total denial ) When I first started using them 3 years ago, they were hard to get and the
manufacturer limited how many I could receive a month. But, now I have no
trouble getting them and can get as many as I need. Sometimes I will use 2
to 3 pair a day depending on what I am doing and the weather conditions. If
I use my computer a lot I will need to put in a new pair as soon as I get
home from work. If you keep them in too long ( 12 to 14 hours) they will
get a bit gooey and uncomfortable. It takes a little trial and error. I
remember reading a post on the surgicaleyes board saying how someone had
tried them and did not like them because they tried to let the
lacrisert dissolve totally in their eye. I can understand why they were
disappointed. You do not want to let them in that long. A person needs to
take them out before bedtime. Lacriserts have helped me so much. I no longer need to put gel in at night or wear a sleep mask.

[Kyle]

What are lacriserts?

[Rebecca Petris]

See the Encyclopedia page on lacriserts here.

It's a methylcellulose pellet sort of thing placed in the eyelid and dissolves over time.

[Lucy]

Lacriserts

There is not much to be found on Lacriserts. I happen to still have my box from 1/11/01. I remember they were hard to get as FaithHope said.

I'm curious if you read this, FaithHope, how long you leave the Lacrisert in the eye?

http://www.pharmacyhealth.net/d/lacrisert-1367.htm

[FaithHope]

I put them in before work at about 6am and take them out around 7pm. Sometimes I will change them out with another pair if I am going out for the evening or if I had to stare at my computer all day. The strain I put on my eyes throughout the day really makes a difference on how comfortable I am. I don't know how I would be managing my life without them.

[rkralman]

Does this product leave a residue on the eye, like oil or anything? Does it affect your vision at all? I also work alot on computer and was just wondering. Thanks

[FaithHope]

No, there is no residue that I have noticed. They do not affect my vision. If you leave them in too long they will get annoying. You will be able to tell when you have worn them for too long. They are a life saver for me.

[sarahj3j]

lacriserts

I just got the lacriserts and used them the last two days. I had to get them out after a few hours because my vision was blurred. I will try them a couple of more times, but so far not the results I was hoping for.

[Lucy]

Conclusion?

Running through this thread, what conclusion did we come to? A couple of people who were helped by Lacriserts? Or was it just one?

FaithHope seems to like Lacriserts and be helped by them. I'm just curious to make a conclusion on this. So many times we work on a thread and it just sort of lies there forever and ever. Then, months or years later, someone picks it up again and it starts all over.

Does anyone love lacriserts besides FaithHope?

[Ryan]

I wouldn't say I love Lacriserts, but they do help. I don't use them everyday. I probably use them 3 times a week, and I do like them. I'm an avid cyclist, so I use them everytime I go biking. The summer's in Chicago are more humid than the winters, so my eyes are at their worst right now. I'll look forward to trying lacriserts in the winter to see how much they help against the furnance.

In my opinion, they're worth a shot for everyone. One thing I've noticed is that they're more comfortable for me after having them in about 2 hours. After having them in for about 8 or 10 hours, my eyes actually feel watery - which is a really welcome feeling!

[Lucy]

Thanks, Ryan. My point was for a person's realistic expectation. About once a year someone fairly new to dry eye "finds" Lacriserts and thinks they are the second coming, or will be.

Of course, they are worth a try if someone can obtain them. I also think it's important for people to know how the product has worked for them. As you can see, we had very little information coming back about lacriserts.

When I see new R&D coming up on dry eye, my response is "yawn." There has been very little come down the pike in the 7 years I've been searching. Even with the hype surrounding Restasis, I think the drops actually help about 1/3 of the patients. (I'm sure someone will post actual statistics, as I don't have them.) I do believe I've heard 1/3 to 1/2 of the patients are helped enough to keep taking the drops.

[Carina]

can you use them also at night, while you are sleeping?

[Lucy]

Yes, you can.