Recovering from Eye drop reddness

[Lawrence S]

Hello - I have been using redness relieving eye drops for years and am trying to get off of them. I am now using lubricating drops. I quit for a month and my eyes did start to clear up and look more healthy but I got back on them when I was is social situations where I did not want to have bloodshot eyes! I was feeling really good about my eyes but relapsed into using them again. I did go to an ophthalmologist for a complete and thorough eye exam with good results - my eyes are healthy besides redness. I would love to hear some positive and motivating stories and suggestions from those who have had similar experiences!

[Jenn1]

From what I hear, its widely discouraged to use any type of vasoconstrictor or anything that promises to 'get rid of the red' in your eyes: http://www.dryeyezone.com/encycloped...strictors.html

[Rebecca Petris]

Lawrence I wonder if a planned taper program would be helpful. Because of the social problems eye redness causes, going cold turkey is definitely not for everyone. But maybe giving yourself an 'allowance' of how frequently you can use it - and babying your eyes really well in the in between time (saline rinses? cold compresses? I dunno, the red eye crowd here can probably come up with better suggestions... plus of course seeking some more detailed diagnosis) - might make it more tolerable to phase off rather than being all or nothing.

[Lawrence S]

Thank you!

Thank you for your time and response Rebecca.I am going to really restrict my use of vaso's with plan on eliminating them entirely. I have just decided to take much better care of my eyes and kick the clear eye's thing! I am fairly young and I really want this! I stopped totally for a month and did see improvement so I know getting off them works! What do you think about a daily regime? saline wash, warm compresses, cold packs?