FreshKote

[Shay]

I am new to this site. It is very helpful. I have very red, dry eyes and have been to the rheumatologist to rule out Sjogren's, which she did, the opthamologist several times, who has been sympathetic and ruled out any type of disease or bacteria or damage to the eye, but otherwise has not been able to help. I'm not sure why he hasn't done some of the tests people mention on here, but he hasn't. I have a dedicated GP who is committed to helping me, but he wanted me to rule out things one at a time. We've ruled out Sjogren's, allergies, disease, etc. I tried Restasis, which helped very little at first and then two months into it, my eyes became so red and gritty and burning that I could hardly keep them open, so the doc said to stop that.

Anyway, my real question is about people's experience with FreshKote. I have ordered the Dwelle drops on backorder, and I got my doctor to write a prescription for FreshKote. I've been using it for only three days, but today my eyes actually look redder and seem to burn a bit more. I'm most worried about the redness as I am extremely self conscious about my eyes always being red. I'm wondering if this is typical at the beginning of FreshKote use and will go away. And I'm wondering how long it takes being on FreshKote before it works, for those for whom it does work. And I'm wondering how often people use FreshKote - the pharmacist said 4X per day and the Web site says "as needed."

Thanks!

[alisonW]

Hi Shay - It's sounds like you may have ocular rosacea like I and many others here do. If that's the case, then using drops without *any* preservatives is best. I could not use Dwelle or Freshkote at all. Both made my eyes more red and uncomfortable. I wouldn't continue to use them if they are making your eyes worse. Take a look at the Ocular Rosacea section of this site too. Hth!

Alison

(I can use Soothe Xp drops though.)

[alisonW]

I need to add that I mention ocular rosacea because of all the other things you list that have already been ruled out by your doctors. OR is very under-diagnosed and frequently ignored. There is no definite test to determine whether or not you have it, but it is the culmination of a variety of symptoms including red, dry, extremely sensitive, eyes. You can have it even if you do not show any facial symptoms at all. Please do a board search for ocular rosacea and also look at the OR section of this messageboard.

[Shay]

Thank you so much Alison. It's funny you mention the ocular rosacea, because I have wondered about that myself. I often have very odd skin issues, though none that are typical "rosacea." But it has caused me to wonder if there was a correlation - I have major scalp issues, I have sensitive skin that does get red on the cheeks sometimes, I have skin that is frequently itchy and dry.... could be related. In any event, I will for sure do some research on it. Thanks again!
Shay