Drops Dosage?

[saltysam]

Forgive me for this naive question but i was wondering about frequency of drops and should it be a regular x amount of times a day like medicine? For example my regime from last night- One vial of TheraTears liquid gel at bedtime (around 10:30)- up for work at 5:30 am, one vial of TheraTears normal drops. Went to work and my eyes felt uncomfortable until just after 9am where they improved somewhat,i didn't feel the need to take another drop.Home from work at 2:30pm, eyes still felt okish but i felt i should refresh them anyway so put another drop in around 3:15pm. it's now just past 7 in the UK and my eyes are feeling a little sore, i suppose my question is should i faithfully put drops in 4-5 or more times a day every day or just "when i need to". I am worried that by not using drops enough i'm not giving my eyes the help they need.Any advice welcome please!

[lui]

It's a good question!Some doctors told me to use lots of drops to keep the eyes moistened and some that too many drops only inflame the eyes...I notice that after I use the same drops for some time they don't work as good anymore, instead my eyes burn. Do you think it's good to use always different drops or not at all?

[gz9gjg]

Most of us have wrestled with the question of how often to use eye drops. We all have our favorite drops, and most of us have tried at least 10 different types.

My personal rule is to use drops 3 times a day. I use "Pataday" prescription allergy drops first thing in the morning; "Aquify" when I insert my RGPs; and "NutraTear" when I remove my RGPs.

During the day, if my eyes feel dry, I use "Aquify" or "EyeCept", but most days I don't need them. I resist using drops more often, because preservatives in drops can irritate eyes; drops can dilute natural tears too much; and when you have very low tear production, the drops can be too strong and cause stinging or other problems.

I avoid thicker drops and gels or ointments, because they seem to gunk up my tear glands. I very, very seldom use any "anti redness" drops, because they dry my eyes and cause a bad rebound effect - more redness than before I used them. I find the "NutraTear" drops help with healing and improve my tear quality.

I also use 7Eye (PanOptx) goggle sunglasses when outdoors, to keep moisture around my eyes and grit out. I have recently been taking 600mg N-Acetyl L-Cysteine supplements, and they seem to be slowly helping - my eyes are definitely feeling less dry.

[saltysam]

Still finding my feet with the drops.Tried Viscotears which it seems uk doctors recommend,not great but i haven't given it enough time, ocumed 0.2 (thanks Irish Eyes)again the jury's out,Systane a couple of times which was ok, clarymist spray not sure about this one.i've mainly used TheraTears drops and gel,again they seem ok but not "great"...guess i'm still searching for the drop that'll suit me best.

[LasikRelatedDES]

I was using drops 15-20 times a day until I realized how absurd that was. I think there is wisdom in looking at them as a medication (for temporary relief as they say) and not overusing them. Try like heck to focus on root causes.

[kitty]

I would do what your doctor suggests as a minimum. For me, I use drops like I drink water. When thirsty! Admittedly, I get wrapped up in something and feel discomfort, and don't use the drops as often as I should. If I am in a meeting it is hard to just sit there and drop away in front of a group of people. I don't know why, but it is uncomfortable for me to do this amongst strangers or colleagues. If I use them as I felt the need, it would be every 15 to 30 minutes on bad days. On more humid days, I use less and feel I need less. Every day is different. Every eye is different. You can't judge what you need by what others need. Go with what your body tells you.