Freshkote or Dwelle trail run?

[autumnn]

Hi All- I noticed a good post in the Europe forum about putting this drop to the test and taking it for a full 3-6 months before coming up with a verdict on its effectiveness. It seems that many people have benefitted from its healing properties.

I have never been a drop person. I used lacriserts for a month and a half and supposedly they were helping my cornea (per the doc who gave them to me) but I still had burning all day long. My well trusted dry eye doctor (a different doctor) told me yesterday that he suggests using Freshkote religiously (4 times a day) no matter what for a long period of time (I once tried it and gave up on it quickly). I am anxious to stop the lacriserts but imagine that they dont have healing properties like Freshkote.

I'd love to get a discussion going on how long you give drops a try (since I never give them more than a day or two) and how others are getting on with Freshkote and Dwelle. If you are going to get relief- is it months out? Can tear film become stabelized through drops?

Also, is there any reason to believe Freshkote is better than Dwelle or vice versa?

[Gretchen]

So your Dry Eye Doc knows about Freshkote? That is pretty impressive. My optho is really good but had never heard of Freshkote. I am going to bring it up again when I go in to see him on Monday.

There seems to be many folks with MGD (like you and I) on this site that have gotten really solid and persistent relief from Dwelle and Freshkote. I haven't really found anything else other than doxy that seems to be as frequently mentioned as "having worked" for people on these boards.

With all of these therapies I think that you have to try them all at least one month. Azasite did not work for me for about 6 weeks and now I believe that I am seeing some benefit.

Hope you are well.
Gretchen

[Lucy]

Dwelle and Freshkote have similar qualities. I'll let someone else write about that. Drops are a very individual thing. Always have been and always will be. I know Dwelle is unavailable right now, but Dwelle helped me as well as the other drops of Dr. Holly: NutraTear and Dakrina.

Freshkote is also included in the original Holly drops and that is the only one I did not like. It was not available yet with the name Freshkote and not on prescription. I have not tried Freshkote since it's been under prescription, but would. I think as time passes, perhaps our drops need to occasionally too.

Autumnn, I would certainly give drops more than a day or two to work. If they hurt your eyes or something that's ok, but will not give you an idea of continuing use. Gretchen mentions giving drops a month to see what they'll do and that isn't a bad length of time. Except for Restasis which says it can take up to six months to work.

Azasite and Doxy are in a different classification than the others because they are an antibiotic and can't be taken forever. Lucy

[autumnn]

Thank you so much for your replies Gretchen and Lucy. I need encouragement to commit to trying something longer than a few days. I have used Freshkote 3 times today and my eyes are burning badly- I cant tell if it is worse, but, they just kill like crazy, which of course makes me nervous about the drop. My eye doc said that the Freshkote wont hurt me- but it is hard to trust that when you are in pain. I am going to try very hard to follow through with his recommendation though.

[mary kenny badami]

autumnn,

I add my voice to agree with the previous posters.

Unless using an eyedrop hurts your eye (more than it is already hurting) or turns it beet-red or indicates some other sign of damage, I think that any drop deserves at least a three- to four-week trial on a regular basis. Best tracked by keeping a daily diary, listing symptoms on a 1-to-5 or similar scale regarding "pain" "comfort" and "appearance" or other such personalized categories. Because, however it came about that our eyes were damaged -- whether over time or through some traumatic event -- surely they deserve some time and opportunity to heal, no?

Also I think it is best to change (add/subtract) no more than one new drop or therapeutic treatment at a time,
because introducing too many variables into our lives can end up confusing us about what is helping and what is not.

I am one of the posters here who was helped dramatically by two of "Dr. Holly's drops."
NutraTear is my everyday mainstay, now used consistently, even if I feel okay, two to four times a day, every day;
and Dakrina is a heavier-duty drop (used if my eyes are sore or feeling particularly troubled, and/or just in case I'm feeling extra-cautious, once at night before I go to sleep).

p.s. And yes, I have tried many things for three or four weeks that didn't work for me: Doxycycline (antibiotic pills by prescription), regular TheraTears eyedrops, Genteal Gel ointment . . . but I never assume that my negative < or perhaps better described as non-helpful > experience with these products rules out the possibility that such items might help the next member of our community. It seems to me that this website is important for many reasons, including that patients are sharing information about our cautious and personalized trial-and-error processes.

extra p.s. But it is most especially important to remain in contact with your trusted eye doctor whenever you are trying out new strategies, of course!

[lilahp]

Love FreshKote and it's the only one that has worked for me!

I've tried all the drops that I can find. FreshKote is wonderful!

[calli66]

FreshKote has really improved my eyes---the doctor agrees.

But---it does burn sometimes. I know it feels OK when I use it in the AM---that's after a whole night of soothing Genteal Gel and Tranquileyes goggles. When I use it mid-day or evening, it does burn when going in.

The drier my eyes are, the more it burns. Sometimes I put in a drop of TearsNaturale (vial), clean that off my lashes with a damp tissue, wait 5 minutes, then put in FreshKote.

When I first tried Dwelle, it went all "weird" on me---felt like I was dragging plastic under my lids. I never tried it again till years later---now it's OK. Sometimes I have to reapply 5 minutes after the first application---I think my eyes are so dry, they need the extra liquid to get things moving again. My point is that the Holly drops can feel different depending on the current state of the eye surface. So don't give up on them or throw them away right away like I do! (I usually toss stuff in frustration----a waste).

Another FreshKote tip:
This really helped me in the beginning. You probably already know about wiping the excess from under the lash line with a damp tissue, but try this----in between "drop applications"---if you feel irritation, burning, foreign body sensation, close your eyes and gently wipe them with a wet tissue (cold water). Use enough water to wet the lashes but not so much that it runs or goes into the eye. For me, this relaxes and calms the sensations enough to where I don't feel the need to put in drops. Which is a good thing, because if I add drops too often, my eyes get to feeling worse.

Good luck with FreshKote---it takes time, but assuming you're not allergic to anything in it, it should help you.

Calli

[curbdiver]

Freshcote information

I'm going to have to mention Freshkote to my eye doctor. I'm an eye drop junkie. When I see anew product for sale i have to try it. I'm having one of my ore flare ups in years. Last time it was his bad, i pretty much spent most of the summer inside.
I keep hearing about how Restasis should help but after trying it without positive results for 6 months,I'm not a believer it will help me.
I'm in the getting desperate mode now.
The Tranquileyes goggles at night and was a life saver on my last plane trip in spite of my wife telling the stewardess I was a bug eyed monster

[suneetk1]

Hi,
There's been alot of discussion on here from people who have benefited from using Dr Holly's drops.
In general I've read that most people have a positive experience with them in the long term.
If you look for posts by "Rojzen", who used to have a really hard time, with a TBUT of 0 & was constantly in moisture chambers, but since using Dr Holly's drops (can't remember which one), has noticed a significant improvement.
I too today got my first batch of "clinitas ultra3", the UK's version of Freshkote. I am going to do a wk or 2 of warm compress & massage before I start them though, I have been lazy over the winter & not done the compresses regularly.
I would have liked to get Freshkote but as my eye doc hadnt heard of it he refused to prescribe it as he thought it was "too new". This really annoyed me as how are you going to hear of it if you don't do any research & I knew he would just dismiss the information I gave him on it. I even called Freshkote & they faxed over the sample request form TWICE but received no response.
Anyway, sorry for the rant. Give it a long term shot & keep up with compresses & flax oil. Good luck.

[stella]

I too am now a complete convert to Freshcote(clinitas ultra 3 to us Europeans)
I have been using it for about 5 months and my eyes continue to improve
I had started to see improvements before i started clinitas 3 ;but the clinitas has really helped it some more eg I have no more trouble with opening my eyes in the mornings now- that was the last stuborn thing to go
The claims of these drops are that with continuous use they restore all three layers of the tear film
If that is the case (and i believe it to be true ) you would need to use it for a long time before you would see bennifits

[autumnn]

What would I do without this forum? I am glad I dont have to find out. Thank you so much for the helpful advice.....I love that so many have chimed in with their experiences. For those of you who have been helped, I'd love to know when you started feeling some healing benefits....was it days, weeks, months? Was it a roller coaster or steady improvement? I notice that the drop helps my "good eye" fairly quickly and my "bad eye" continues to grate on me.....perhaps the worse your eyes are the longer this drop takes to help with healing. I'd also like to know how often you use the drops- I have been instructed to use them 4 times a day- I like to go to bed with "clean" eyes and dont use any drops before bed- perhaps I should though with Freshkote?

I'd love it if there was someone else to embark on this trial with me and we could email each other about our experience.....pm me if you are out there

Thank you so much for taking the time to post on this thread.
Autumnn

[faithfully]

I am also seeking information on if any of these eye drops works for severe dry eye due to Sjogrens? I have tried everything, even the autologus serum drops.
Today I was given my first sample of Lacriserts to try.
After reading these posts I am wondering if one of these eye drops could help my eyes? My right never stops burning. This has been on-going for two years this spring.
Does anyone have experience with these drops helping dry eyes due to Sjogrens?
My Schirmer tests have been zeros in the past.
Hoping for relief.
Thanks,
faithfully

[autumnn]

Hi Faithfully- I am sorry that you are having trouble too. My initial experience with lacriserts was that I thought that they helped...however, I still had burning. When I did more research on Freshkote it seems to indicate that long term use can help the tear film.....my eye doc said that lacriserts are very old and the newer technology with drops could be more beneficial.....I was reluctant to stop the lacriserts but have been instructed to not give up on Freshkote. Maybe you can give the lacriserts a try (there are poeple who love them) but if you dont then you can try Freshkote. I wish I had more to offer re Sjorns but I am not that informed on the topic. Hopefully others can post and offer you some advice.

[calli66]

faithfully--I also have Sjogren's and FreshKote helps me. I noticed major improvement within about 2 months (I'm been using it for a year now).

My Schirmer's has been about 2---haven't had it tested in a long time, but I think it's the same. The doctor always writes "meager tear film" on the exam notes.

The big problem with Sjogren's is inflammation, so it's really important to do lid cleaning and keep them clean clean clean so the oil glands can work properly and mucous, debris, etc. get rinsed out daily.

The thing about FreshKote that I find different----sometimes by late afternoon my eyes start to get too dry, but the FreshKote actually seems to "coat" them and that extends my day----about an hour after I put the drops in I'm not noticing my eyes bothering me anymore. This is a radical departure in function from the way any other drop has felt. With other drops, I'll put it in and 10 minutes later my eyes are drier than ever---and then it's all downhill from there---nothing makes it better.

C

[faithfully]

Thanks Calli66, I was hoping to hear from someone with dry eyes from Sjogrens.
How do I get Freshkote? My Corneal Specialist has never heard of it.
We have tried everything else. I am on Restasis, have had plugs and cautery done. None of the OTC drops work. They all burn.
Thanks so much. I hope to try it soon.
faithfully