What type of dry eye is Lacriserts intended for?

[20/20_Hindsight]

I have tried looking on Lacrisert.com, but cannot find any information if their intended use is for aqueous deficient dry eye or MGD type dry eye. It did mention that a certain amount of tears was necessary to dissolve the pellet.

[alisonW]

That's a good question. I do use them and love them but honestly, even after seeing 5 doctors, have never been told my specifics. I just know my eyes are 'super dry' (they all have said that) and I assume I have MGD since I was on accutane years ago and also wore contact lenses for 23 years.

Three of my tear ducts are plugged and I know I don't have a lot of any kind of tears but do know that even reflex tears help the Lacriserts dissovle.

If you can get a sample of them I would - it can't hurt to try.

[msienkiewicz]

Alison,

I wear them also, and they seem to work fine for me as well.

I never wore contacts, but I wonder if the lacriserts will hurt the glands like contacts do. Or do you think because they are worn under the lower lid, the glands are protected? I know it may sound like a silly question, but I was just wondering.

How many hours are you wearing yours for now?

Melissa

[alisonW]

I did wonder about that too Melissa, but am thinking that since they are under the lower lid, and nowhere near the cornea etc. that they won't cause any type of ocular damage. I'm pretty much wearing them 24/7 now.

I didn't sleep in them last night though because we watched a movie and it made me cry. The tears made the one in my right eye float over and up to under my top lid and it was sticking there making my lid all wonky so I removed it. I then just decided to take the other out too and go without them last night to see what would happen - and if they are really helping me. I woke up dry as a bone and with them extra red & irritated.

So... I'm going back to putting new ones in at bedtime and new ones in before I get ready in the morning. (I do remove any that is still left in my eye bfore putting the new ones in.)

Hth!

[amyk]

Lacriserts at night

Alison--do the lacriserts cause too many tears at night since the eyes are closed? Can you feel them or are they uncomfortable if you put any pressure on your face while sleeping (i.e. sleeping on your side)? I have never tried them but the thought of using them at night is intriguing.

[msienkiewicz]

I have to laugh. We watched a sad movie this afternoon, and I had the same thing happen.

Crazy what we have to put up with....

Melissa

[alisonW]

amyk....

No, not "too many tears" - I wish! The are still somewhat dry at night. I add drops when needed if I wake up during the night. I can not feel them at all when sleeping though and I typically sleep on my stomach - therefore much more comfortable then goggles or masks for me. Hth!

[20/20_Hindsight]

I was wondering if those that currently wear Lacriserts and like them could give us some idea of your Schirmers scores (not that those are all that accurate), or tear break up time?

I don't have an eye doctor currently, and have to find another new one again. I've used up most of them in my state. The one I saw 6 months ago, I paid close to $2,000 for dry eye treatment and I'm worse than ever (plugs, endless exams, tests, etc). I need to find someone who doesn't get frustrated with my situation after a few months.

So, right now I have no option to try any "samples".

[msienkiewicz]

20/20

Last tested my schirmers were 8 and 10. I don't know what my tbut was. My doctors have just said I have significant mgd hence the burning. The lacriserts have helped me a great deal with that discomfort as they must more evenly distribute the tears on my eye at a more constant rate.

All I know is that they make me feel almost normal, and I had forgotten what that felt like. For me, I love the freedom of not having to constantly apply the drops.

Best wishes,
Melissa

[amyk]

Do the lacriserts take some time to get used to or to work efficiently, or is the initial experience indicative of what continuous use would be like? Just wondering if it is like restasis or other drops where you do not feel the effects until several weeks.

[msienkiewicz]

Amy,

I think what they are referring to is the effect they have on your tear film. I think they do help to restore the tear film thus less staining over time by providing continuous moisture. This effect, however, would take a while to see. I notice that since using them I can now go one or two days without them every now and then. I could not do this before. I could not go an hour and half without drops so this is huge.

I think if you had staining issues, they would be a great thing to try.

Best wishes,
Melissa

[amyk]

Thanks Melissa and Alison for your responses. Did you experience initial discomfort when you first starting using them? Did they help relieve your symptoms right away, or did it take several days before you noticed relief?

[msienkiewicz]

amyk

I did not have any initial discomfort, and I noticed relief the first time I used them. The first time I used them I didn't have to use additional drops. However, I did start out wearing them only about 6 hours, and then added more time gradually as I suppose I was getting used to the feel of them, but there was never discomfort or pain involved.

I now wear them for up to 12 hours with no problem. I believe that the relief continues to improve as you wear them over time because of the continuous moisture.

Best wishes,
Melissa

[RobLIC]

Dr. Latkany introduced me to Lacriserts 11 days ago. They're wonderful. I'm one of the post-LASIK "decent Schirmers, but no TBUT" types. The Lacriserts blur my vision a little bit, so I add a drop of Theratears or Blink once or twice a day to sort of keep them "activated." But they've reduced so much of the pain from my posterior bleph/MGD that I don't want to think about going without them. I think that may be where they are most useful, in terms of reducing the number of drops you need to keep lubricated. With fewer drops comes ... less anxiety. That's a good thing. Rob in NYC

[msienkiewicz]

Rob,

I like your comment about "...with fewer drops comes less anxiety." I totally agree. The lacriserts have allowed me to feel almost normal and have been the only thing that has given me relief from the burning posterior bleph. I could never time the drops right, and they seemed to work for only a few minutes. Having less pain lessens the anxiety as well. They have been a lifesaver for me as well.

I wish more doctors would recommend these. I happened to see a pamphlet for them at one of my doctors and asked to try them. He said I wasn't a candidate. Apparently, he thought they were only for tear deficient dry eye and not bleph or mgd patients. I have OK schirmers also but significant posterior blepheritis. I went to another doctor and insisted that he let me try them. He said he didn't recommend them as people didn't like them. It took me a while to try them as I had only heard negative things about them, but they really have given me back my quality of life.

Best wishes,
Melissa