Post Your Daily Routine

[housefull]

I accept with PM:
-Restasis
-2 Biotear tablets
-Refresh Celluvisc for sleeping
-Goggles for sleeping

[Súil Eile]

This is a great thread. So interesting to see everyone's routine. Mine is:

Morning:
Artelac (Preservative free) in each eye before opening them to help dissolve gunk and prise them open, and then more when I get them open.
One drop of Vividrin in each eye.
Vidisic gel (preservative free) in each eye.
Omega 3 supplement.
My eyes can't handle heat in the mornings so no compresses, but I do stand near the kettle to benefit from some gentle steam.
I just bought some Blephasol, so going to clean my lids with than in the mornings now.

During the day:
Artelac (PF) every 10 - 15 mins.
Vidisic (PF) every hour, sometimes more frequently.
Humidifier at my desk.

Nightime:
Hot compress
Lid scrub
Vividrin in each eye
Lacrilube on my lid margins. It doesn't do anything to relieve symptoms but it does soothe my lash line and makes it a little easier to open my eyes in the morning.
Inevitably I end up putting in Artelac throughout the night.

The Vividrin is new so fingers crossed!

[152genielane]

best routine for me

I'm always tinkering and changing, but after a few years at this, this seems to work the best for me and improved my DES considerably:

morning:
rinse out eyes with saline
massage lids with hot cotton balls
clean lids with occusoft foamy soap with my fingertips
rinse again with saline
one drop of clear eyes, each eye to remove redness
before leaving for work, one drop in each eye of Arizthromycin (sp?)

daily:
clean lids with oxy pads, maybe 4 or 5 times daily, depending on what I'm doing
take Omega 3 fish oil tab, daily multi-vitamin, and Theralife Eye pills

night:
ricebaggy hot compress
massage lids
Occusoft lid scrubs
rinse eyes with saline
put in Refresh Liquigel drops at bedtime

next day, do it all over again! that's a lot of work, but definitely worth the improved quality of life. my eyes are by no means normal or perfect, but much improved and I'd say 85% normal. hope this helps somebody.

[Rebecca Petris]

152genielane, this sounds great EXCEPT this:

one drop of clear eyes, each eye to remove redness

I'm assuming you're talking about Clear Eyes with a redness reliever (Naphazoline Hydrochloride) since you said it's for redness - if not please disregard

If you're really taking Clear Eyes for redness every day, that alone could counteract everything right that you're doing. Even on perfectly healthy eyes, redness relievers are never safe for daily use (as opposed to occasional) and have a documented rebound effect i.e. use them regularly and you will get MORE red even if they temporarily help. Drops with benzalkonium chloride as preservative also have a proven toxic effect on the cornea when used regularly. For people who already have issues with the cornea, they're that much more vulnerable to the toxic effects of these things. So I would urge anyone using this or any other redness reliever to stop right now and find alternative solutions.

[152genielane]

clear eyes

hey Rebecca, thanks for that info. yes I used to use the Clear Eyes redness remover constantly. since I have finally made progress and gotten relief thru these other remedies, I am down to using those drops only once or twice a day, because my eyes feel better and look better. I got the impression from Dr. Landsky's (sp?) book that redness relief drops (vaso-constrictors) don't do much harm, but really only offer temporary relief and don't solve any problems.

my problems are MGD / Bleph, I've never had any cornea problems that I know of. but if you think the long-term effects are that negative, maybe I should eliminate the redness relief drops altogether. do you know of any drops on the market that contain redness releif, but do not have the negative side effects? thanks!

[152genielane]

forgot one thing

also forgot as part of my routine I take 100mg of doxy before bedtime. that seems to help a lot.

[Rebecca Petris]

I will look it up in his book when I get a chance but I cannot imagine Dr. Latkany would ever suggest chronic use of a vasoconstrictor may NOT be harmful.

Look at the label on your bottle.

I got the quote below from drugs.com, and this applies to redness relievers across the board. In my opinion these drops should not even be sold over the counter because people don't read it and don't realize how harmful they can be. We have several members who have inadvertently really harmed themselves by overusing these drops. I know it's hard to quit them but you'd be seriously doing yourself a favor by going cold turkey.

Do not use naphazoline ophthalmic more often or continuously for longer than 48 to 72 hours without consulting a doctor. Chronic use of this medication may damage the blood vessels (veins and arteries) in the eyes. Consult a doctor if your symptoms do not improve or appear to worsen.

[152genielane]

more on redness reliever

I went back and checked the book and Dr. Latkany does say the same thing as the warning on the bottle: only use on occaision, continuous use can be damaging. for the last week I have reduced my usage considerably, and for the last couple days I have gone cold turkey.... and so far my eyes actually feel better. hope this continues and thanks for the heads up. I've been using those habitually for years!

[Nanerpus]

AM

-Rinse eyes with Cold water
-1 Drop Pataday each eye
-1 drop Alrex each eye (tapering off this, had an alleric flare a few weeks ago)
-Hot shower, lid massage


Throughout the day: Refrigerated PF Theratears as needed (lots)
Also vitamins, fish/flax/borage oil, Hyaluronic Acid, water water water

PM

-1 Drop Alrex each eye

Before bed, I put in PF Theratears Gel and sometimes sleep with Tranquil Eyes (but most nights I find I take them off in my sleep!

[Pegasus]

My Routine to relief dry eye syndrom

Hi:

I have dry eyes, especially at night.

I take 2 capsules of TheraLife Eye in the morning. If I an going out at night, I take 2 more. But before going to bed, I take at least 2 more capsules to prevent eyes feeling dry at night or in the morning. No crusty build up, no need to get up at night and put drops in.

I don't use drops any more. The sustainable relief changed my life. I am a patient.

Hope this is helpful

[Nanerpus]

Here is my latest routine!

OH Boy here goes -hope you are ready for a novel!

My daily routine:

> Splash cold water on (closed) eyes upon waking - use Ocusoft to clean off gunk from the gel I used in bed, immediately put in a drop of Pataday in each eye.
> Take 1 probiotic, 1 Allegra with 1 glass of water with hyaluronic acid.

~~~~~Theratears individual vials (PF) all day long, ones that have been chilled in the fridge. Less if my allergies/dry eyes feel good, more if I'm having an attack~~~~~~~~

During the day, I eat healthfully (with some "treats - coffee, etc) and take the following:
Flax Oil, Fish Oil, Borage Oil, Vitex, Vit D, natural allergy remedy, digestive enzymes, 2 tablespoons Chia seed. These supplements are extremely high quality that I get from a nutritionist who studies the companies and quality of the products. Tons of water, yoga, exercise. Goggles/sunglasses when outdoors.

>2 pm 1 drop of Alrex in each eye.

>At night I take another probiotic before bed. I use ocusoft as my lid scrub. Sometimes I use cold compresses. I use every allergen avoidance suggestion possible. I sleep with theratears gel or genteal gel and a soft eye mask that I wash every morning.

I hope to soon be off the Alrex and Allegra. I'm possibly going to start allergy shots in the near future. It's very dry and winter so I also have an ultrasonic humidifier going next to my bed at night. I go to Bio-feedback once every 2 weeks, get a massage weekly, and am going to begin accupuncture next week. I also see a naturopath, where I get the supplements and where we try to approach my allergies and dryness from a whole health standpoint.

I'm extremely depressed about how many eye drops I put in during the day, how red my eyes are, and how hard it is to eliminate allergies . I'll have several great days, followed by even more itchy, bloodshot, stingy days. I don't think there is much else left to try! lol

[zoso967]

AM: Douse both eyes with Oasis Tears, keep eyes closed in shower, don't use soap on eyelids
PM: Douse both eyes with Restasis, close eyes and sleep.

Oasis Tears throughout the day and warm compresses as necessary.

I am going to add:

Lovaza 2-3x daily with meals
Tears Again Advanced Liposome Spray AM after shower and PM before bed

[PRK]

Well I’ll be 9 months post PRK in about 3 weeks and my daily routine goes something like this…..

I wake up with fairly dry eyes put in a few drops from a preservative-free Theratears vial I keep next to the bed each night. I then clean the dried Theratears off my eyelashes and from the sides of my eye if there’s anything there.

I wash and dry my face carefully to avoid disrupting the two punctal plugs in my left eye. I eat breakfast,drink some Bolthouse Farms Green Goodness, take an omega 3 pill, grab my half gallon of water I take to work everyday and get in the car to go to work.

Now some days are better than others but I would say about 30% of the time I can make the hour drive to work without putting in any additional drops after I leave the driveway. 50% of the time I need to put in a drop or 2 at a stoplight or during an open area on the highway. 20% of the time I need to put in more than 2 drops on the way to work.

The Theratears vial I use while I drive and when I’m at home is the non-resealable type since I can get them at Target or Walmart for $9. When I’m at work I use the vials with resealable caps which I order online from the Theratears website for $12.99 I think.

While at home I just make a little prop with a post-it note for the non-resealable type so that the tip is up in the air and doesn’t touch anything. When I drive I just hold the vial in my right hand the whole time and drive with my left hand. The vials with the resealable caps I save for work only since I need something I can stick in my pocket.

At work I use 1 or 2 resealable Thearatears over an 8 hr period. Mostly for my right eye since my left eye has punctal plugs in both top and bottom. Over the last 3 months it seems like my right eye has been getting drier so in September I plan on getting plugs for the right eye as well. Throughout the day the dryness gets progressively worse for the right eye with a burning, irritated, sometimes itching sensation if I go too long without drops.

After work on the drive home I usually need more drops than on the drive to work. When I get home I eat dinner, take an omega 3 pill, shower and go to bed.

After I wash my face in the shower I have to immediately put in some drops to wash out any small amount of soap that gets in my eyes or else they get very irritated.

I go to bed with a vial of Theratears on the nightstand and I have trained myself to always wake up with my eyes closed so I can put in some drops first. Two or three times during the night when I wake up to go to the bathroom, I carefully fish in some eye drops before I open my eyes. This has allowed me to stop using Refresh PM before bed and the only product I use now is Theratears drops.......yay.

That’s my average day. So I guess on the good days I use 2-4 vials of Theratears and on the bad days it’s closer to 6 mostly for the right eye.


P.S.- If you use resealable vials and keep them in your pocket throughout the day, it’s best to keep them in the little plastic package they come in from the box. If they don't come in a second package from the box keep them in a pill container or ziplock bag. When you don't there is a very good chance that pocket lint will make in under the cap and eventually into your eye…...it’s just a matter of time.

[jordanh]

Wake up clean eye lids with theralid or lid care
shower, right after i put in systane gel drops
15-30 minutes later i put in restasis then out the door

[glenda]

first thing put in tear gel so I can walk my dog for 10-15 min.
then warm compresses and scrub with baby shampoo.
a drop of restasis in each eye
many, many drops of bion tears throughout the day
compresses 3 or 4 since I am on leave from work during the day
flaxseed and omega 3 dose
compress and scrub at night
1 drop restasis
tear gel for sleeping