Restasis users? Pro's, Con's?

[Sandra24]

Well I have dry eye and blepharitis and I recently saw my 2nd specialist and he suggested the same as the last........that I start taking Restasis...basically for the rest of my life.....he thinks that it can really help with my prob

Does anyone take this and actually have positive results......i am a little nervous about trying it, possible neg side effects......and im not happy bout the idea of having to always use it......

[kitty]

While it did very little for me, and I no longer use it, I don't think that would be reason enough for you not to try it. Would you question taking a blood pressure pill for the rest of your life? How about a pill that regulated your heart beat or controlled your blood sugar? How about taking a medication that controlled chronic arthritis pain or a skin condition like eczema? I think the question to be asked is, "Are my dry eye symptoms bothersome enough that I am willing to try a medication that would provide me with some relief?" And a second question you might ask yourself, "Does the potential benefit of using Restasis outweigh the possible discomfort from side effects and the cost of the medication?" Some people tolerate Restasis very well, some not so well. You won't know how you will react to it until you try it. Just some food for thought.

[Sandra24]

Well I do have dry eye....but I think that it is not as severe as some ppl out there........granted my eyes can be very bothersome at times, sensitivities to light.....i always have these blood vessels in my eye and going to malls, etc causes even more redness and irritation....and i wake up w/ my occasional bad outbreaks...i wonder if i just become more religious about using my warm compresses if it would help me.......i dont know, im just so confused......im reading more negative things about restasis than positive so I just dont know if i should take it......i have to go to work everyday and i cant afford to be having probs like blurred vision, etc when i take the drops...

[calli66]

Yes! Positive results, but only after the second trial.

I tried Restasis for 3 months in 2005--and quit because of the burning. My eyes got really inflamed from it, too. Then, I made some major changes in my eye-care. Genteal Gel became available again. I went from using saline solution at night--sometimes up to 6 times--to relieve dryness, to using the gel. I think my tear film was really unstable at that time--I think I was washing it away with saline.

Last April, I started in again with the Restasis and have been using it ever since. I definitely noticed a big improvement. I can wear my contacts longer; I don't have that "rebound" of dryness and irritation after removing them at night; I don't have as many flare-ups--corneal dry spots; I don't get swollen lids or blepharitis anymore; and I can actually see more tears in my eyes.

Don't be afraid to try Restasis. They say it works better for people whose condition is bad, but not terrible--so it may work for you.

As far as using it for the rest of your life--I worry about this a bit, too. But since I've gotten improvement from it, I no longer have to use the steroids and antibiotics--and I figure that's a good thing.

66

[William53]

I've been on restasis 2X a day since mid-April 2006. Haven't seen a huge improvement, but find it hard to measure progress. I experience some burning, but would put up with a lot more if it was clear that the drug delivers some benefit. At this point tho am kind of taking it on faith that it's doing something.

[Delilah]

Using Restasis hasn't helped me either?

I've been using Restasis for over 6 months now and this is my 2nd attempt. I was on Castor Oil eye drops from a compound pharmacy and seen tremendous results then my eyes went back to the way they were? It sucks and I am not sure if I am going to continue using Restasis anymore, it hasn't helped me and I still have severe dry eye, MGD and these stringy mucus strings all the time. I've just come to the conclusion that my eyes will never change and all I can do is try to take good care of myself and my eyes and live with it. Hope everyone is doing good. Ciao Delilah

[Maria1972]

I use restasis twice a day since Feb 2005. At the beginning my doctor put me on 4 times a day for a month. I saw great imporvement for a few months then it went down (worse than before) then a little better and stayed like that until now.
My theory is that it stops working after a while, the body adjusts to the drug...this happens with other drugs for other medical conditions, specially autoimunne.
The thing is I don't want to stop it now b/c I I'm afraid it'll get worse...it's a judment call but we are differnt and you can have great results with it and may work for you. You won't know if you don't try it.

[LTMarcia]

new restasis user


I joined this site as I wanted to know the answers received as to why I should use 2 drops out of a container that holds aprx. 16 drops and then discard it. Is it a money maker for the company? Anyone know the reason? One thought of mine; it will get contaminants from the air. This is my regime:
Use a drop in ea. eye, store container upright in covered box (it is indicated 55-75 degrees I believe) so didn't consider refrigeration and then use a drop in ea. eye at night and then discard the rest. What have you found out???
Thanks, Marcia

[SomeGuy]

Anyone who has used this, does it help the redness of your eyes?

[HelpMyDryEyes]

As a dry eye specialist- I will be able to provide some insight but without seeing you personally- I don't think it is wise to change your treatment options without seeing your doctor.

Blepharitis is a major cause of dry eye symptoms- red, watering, burning, itching, tired eyes. It makes people miserable and it does require daily treatment to prevent the inflammation that is causing the symptoms. Although a lot of dry eye specialist do report success with restasis, I am finding something different- restasis has little effect it the lid health is not addressed.

For blepharitis, your treatment is aimed at improving the lid health- removing dust,debris and bacteria from your eyelid/eyelashes that builds up throughout the day and irritates your eyes.

Do you wear eye make-up? If yes, what are you wearing and how are you removing it.

Warm compresses- it is important to be doing warm compresses for at least 5 min for 1-2 times a day.

Eyelid scrubs- I prefer eyelash wash because I feel it is a better description of what you are doing- shampooing the eyelashes to remove any debris that has built up throughout the day or overnight. This is best done with mild soap like baby shampoo or other OTC products (ocusoft)

[B]Omega 3 fish oil[B]- 2000mg of omega-3 fish oil has been helping my patients out a lot with their symptoms. I can help you more with this if you are interested.

Then finially if you are still having difficulties, I would recommend an oral antibiotic, doxycycline, sometimes for a 3 month course.

Bottom line- for my own patient with blepharitis, I am finding that Restasis alone is not very effective and for a lot of my patient I have been straying away from its use for treating blepharitis or meibomian gland dysfunction.

I hope this information was helpful, and would be happy to answer any questions you still have.

[hsum4]

Lid Margin Disease

You can use diluted baby shampoo for lid margin disease. Just make sure you wash the upper and lower lid eyelashes with it 2xs per day. It cleans away the debris and bacteria. I also use Cetaphil first before using the baby shampoo.

hsum4

[evaluate]

Punctal Plugs with drops

I have the Odyssey punctal plugs inserted in my right eye. I also use eye drops less because of the plugs.

[elvishthistle]

I've been using restasis for about a month and I think it may actually be helping. I never had any bad burning from it which I was afraid of based on all the reviews. I have had some very mild stinging from it once or twice but that's about it. I think this stuff might actually be helping me, so you never know. I would use it if that's what your Dr. suggests!

[louisvillemom]

question for dry eye specialist

I have been having significant trouble with my eyes that is getting worse. I have used Restasis off and on for 2 yrs. I never feel it makes it better, might even make if worse. Where are you located? I would really like help. I was also diagnosed with blepharitis and MGD. Thanks

[LouisvilleLady]

locating a dry eye specialist

Hi, Louisvillemom,

If you actually live in Louisville, Kentucky, then I'd suggest that you go to see Dr. Gary Foulks. He's with a group called Eye Specialists of Louisville, and his main office is downtown at the Kentucky Lyons Eye Center (I think that's what it's called). It's near Jewish Hospital. Anyway, everyone who knows him is well aware that he's a corneal and external disease specialist/researcher who also specializes in dry eye. Best of all, he's really caring and sweet.

A couple of us on this site go to him. Good luck with finding someone. Most of us know what it's like to go for years and wonder if we'll ever find a doctor who "gets it."