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I had LOTS AND LOTS of response to this question! But at least half of those who wrote to me said that they have dry eyes, too -- did not have solutions, and hoped that some would surface from the question.
As for Restasis ... the very $$$$ prescription eye drops I cannot afford to buy ... one person responded that they had helped her, and another said they have not helped at all.
But onto the information about how others deal with this problem:
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First of all, one responder sent me to a really excellent web page about Dry Eye:
http://www.dryeyeinfo.org/Dry_Eye_In_Depth.htm
Lots of info there -- and really worth the time to read through it.
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As far as what others use for dry eye relief, here are the results:
I have to say, I loved this comment, as it pretty much sums up my own experience: "(Of the over-the-counter products), none work and only offer temp relief for like 5 minutes." But many did respond with products that seem to work for them.
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A lot of people use Refresh Eye drops, but I see they have a variety, and most people weren't specific about which they use:
http://www.refreshbrand.com/html/consumer/whatsnew.asp
Refresh Plus and Refresh Optive seem to be the main ones, among those who specified. About 10 people mentioned some type of Refresh drops.
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5 people use Systane Ultra, from Alcon: http://www.systane.com/Dry-Eye-Drop.aspx … (As an aside, my eye doctor gave me a sample of this, and I find it to be only moderately effective for myself.)
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The remainder were single mentions:
GenTeal "moderate to severe" drops -- but I cannot find that type on their website: http://www.genteal.com/info/products/eye-drop.jsp?WT.svl=LM
TheraTears without preservative:
http://www.theratears.com/which.aspx (I also notice that TheraTears makes a product with Omega-3, and I might give that a try!)
Similason drops:
http://www.vitacost.com/Similasan-Healthy-Relief-Dry-Eye-Relief-Eye-Drops
Liquifilm Tears -- this seems to be a product made by Allergan, but I cannot find any current information on it.
Bausch & Lomb Advanced Eye Relief: http://tinyurl.com/28nx24h (1 person)
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Other suggestions for treating dry eyes:
"Morning and night soak your eyes with a hot compact (washcloth works) and when
you take a shower let the hot water run on your face for a few minutes then afterwards use any eye ointment."
"About 9 years ago to treat dry eyes my eye doctor put plugs in some of my tear ducts. This slows down the drainage of tears and keeps more of them in my eyes.
It has been a huge help." (A few people noted that they had this procedure, or knew someone who did -- with mixed results.)
"I have had dry eyes since birth and my ophthalmologist yrs ago said to just
use murine. So that's what I have done - UNTIL - I discovered a few yrs ago,
that Walmart has the same thing for about a 1/4 of the cost, made by the
same company in the exact same bottle and exact same formula. You can
compare them. If you haven't tried Murine or the Walmart brand give a try.
It helps me but there is no particular time that I use them. Just when my
eyes are uncomfortable - especially when it's allergy season."
"My doctor thinks my dehydration is the problem, so I'm drinking more water." (An interesting theory, but, for me, I drink 8 to 10 glasses a day.)
"I finally decided to go to my allergist and began allergy shots. I really do not enjoy getting the shots due to very sore arms after each set of shots, but I didn't know what else to do. Finally, my dry eye problem has resolved, now that I rarely have to take any antihistamines. IF there's any way that you can stop taking antihistamines, you may see some improvements in your eye dryness. I know that with allergies, that's not an easy thing to stop doing!" (I do have bad allergies, but do not take antihistamines due to other side effects.)
A few others mentioned vitamin malabsorption as a culprit -- specifically Vitamin A and Omega-3's. A couple of others suggested that I try harder to be more gluten-free in my eating. (Trust me, it is not humanly possible to be "more GF" than I am.) I do like the idea of trying fish oil or other Omega-3, because, as one person noted, Omega-3 is an anti-inflammatory.
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