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I have had dry eyes for several years. My regular eye doctor said to use Systane Balance eye drops 3 times a day and start taking Fish Oil supplements. This actually worked pretty good for a couple of years and then my eyes started to get progressively worse. I decided to double up on the Fish Oil and that didn't help. Then I started to have blurry vision while driving and decided to go to an eye specialist. He said I had "moderate to severe dry eye" and inserted plugs into my lower lids, prescribed Restasis and i-drop Pur. After about a two weeks my eyes are so much better. They are now white (rather than blood-shot red) and they feel normal. I was told the Restasis would take about 2 months to start working. So, can I assume that the new preservative free drops and the plugs have done the job sufficiently and I don't need the Restasis? I called the doctors office to ask and was told to book an appointment (3-4 weeks from now). Has anyone else had really quick results using Restasis? These particular eye drops (i-drop Pur by i-Med) are the BEST I have every tried.....very soothing and instant relief. I use the Restasis drops first, then wait 20 minutes and use the i-drops. My one eye used to water so much that tears would run down my cheek but that has stopped also. The Restasis is expensive so I am tempted to just stop it and see what happens. Any thoughts?
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Restasis is an immunosuppressant and theoretically reduces inflammation in your eye. Omega-3 in fish oil is also a good anti-inflammatory, but it acts on your whole body rather than just your eyes. You may be able to take away Restasis - there's only one way to find out, and that's to try it and see if you still feel good after a few weeks.
For me, Restasis worked within 2-3 weeks of me using it. Some offices claim it takes longer, but it probably depends on the individual.
The one thing I would say about the cost of Restasis is this - Allergan, the manufacturer, is still making single vial drops as far as I'm aware (they've recently introduced Restasis Multidose, which may end up replacing the single vials). You don't have to use the single vials once and throw them away. You can use all of the medication in the vial (lasts 2.5-3 days, I've found). That way, your supply lasts much longer than one month. You can use this to your advantage if you have a high deductible plan with coinsurance for prescriptions. Once you've hit your deductible, get a new pack of Restasis every month and stock up for the next year.
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