Dates

December 12, 2018 to January 2, 2019

Participants

221

Results: On average, how often do you use eye lubricants during the day?

Comments from participants

• I would use more if I felt like they were more helpful honestly
• My eye doc recommended pre-treating prior to planned hours of computer work. It helps
• Systane Ultra works the best for me. The rx eyedrops Did Not work for me at all!
• Every 10 minutes. Always looking for coupons. Good feeling when I find one. Yippee!
• It varies. On a bad day I sometimes use the drops every half hour. Today I used drops and ointment this afternoon and I still have pain in one eye.
• It varies.
• Dr. Robert Latkany, my dry eye doctor, doesn't want me using drops, other than Restasis, unless it's absolutely necessary.
• P. S. - The only time I use eyedrops in addition to Restasis is on the rare occasions that I am experiencing eye pain that won't go away, then I use them as little as possible, not more than four times per day. I use Refresh. I think it's called Refresh Plus. Dr. Latkany doesn't want me using thick, gel-type drops.
• My need for OTC dropped significantly when I started using autologous serum 2 months ago. I went from 4-5 vials of artificial tears per day to 1-2 per week.
• 4 times a day usually. I may use more on windy days.
• I have a PROSE lens in my left eye but I do put Refresh Plus drops in my right eye at least a couple of times a day.
• Celluvisc night time only. Rarely, Retaine MGD in vial form. Most times, eye drops worsen my eyes but they can tolerate the Retaine.
• Ointment.
• I would need more drops if not for Xiidra.
• Only during the dry cold months.
• In a Minnesota winter, 14 Celluvisc daily, 11 in summer, plus in emergencies prescription 2.5% non-preserved, refrigerated cellulose gum eyedrops (only made in hospitals). I'm trying desperately to wean myself off of the prescription eyedrops because after 30 years I'm tired of the hassle of obtaining them.
• Use a Bruder heated mask to 10 minutes twice a day.
• About every 10 to 15 minutes when I watch television in the evening.
• RESTASIS MORNING AND NIGHT ONLY.
• I replied about once every hr. But the truth is that it’s often every half hr. Sometimes more if it’s a bad day. My daytime lubricant is primarily gel drops. However I sometimes use my nighttime ointment during the day - especially before I go out (which is not nec every day) but sometimes even when indoors. After the ointment I can last about 1 1/2 hrs without needing further lubrication. Sometimes even 2. And the first time or two after I re-lubricate there’ll still be a residual effect from the ointment so that I can last a good hr before needing more lubricant.
• Unable to produce any tears (Schirmer = 0 mm at diagnosis of secondary Sjogren's Sd in 2000). Use minimum of 12 boxes Bion Tears per month. Have them with me at all times.
• It’s a difficult question: some days I use drops several times an hour. When things are going well it might be only a couple times a day
• I use more drops during the winter. I put the OTC (Allergan Celluvisc, Mega 3) in my only good eye (due to retinopathy) before I cover it at night. Seems to help. If don't cover/tape it and/or use the OTC drops, I have dryness and sometimes corneal abrasions which are serious when you only have one eye. My ophthalmologist has always offered me OTC samples but they always contained preservatives so I declined and made it known that I don't want to use preservatives. This past October, he offered me the individual "Advance" drops without preservatives. (Not as good as what I already purchase on my own.) When I asked for a sample of Xiidra, he said he didn't have any and said to stay with the Restasis. My issue with the Restasis is that it is $600/month. Goes up in price frequently and although I have drug coverage, I pay a lot in premiums ($78/month - plus $40 copay for Restasis) and Restasis is my most expensive drug so that goes toward the coverage gap very quickly. Now the drug plan is requiring prior authorization before each Restasis refill.   Doctor offered me a trial vial of the Restasis to help me make it through the end of the year and said that it is safe to use. Said Allergan will be discontinuing the individual vials. Who knows what is true anymore. I lean toward using more OTC drops because I am tired of the cost of the Restasis.
• I used a different drop for years and put them in every hour or so. Took me a while --and lots of trial and error, and money spent on drops that didn't work at all for me--to find a drop that worked better for my particular condition. (Retaine MGD)
• Don’t need to use drops since sclerals are enough to keep my eyes moist. However I do put a few drops in with the saline when inserting my sclerals in the morning.
• I use celluvisc & drops in my left eye only in AM as that lens is quite large & I was getting some leakage  I only use drops in Rt eye lens If my eyes get too dry or I forget to take my civimiline I need to add drops more often. Usually not more than 4 times a day.
• This will vary to as much as every 7-10 min for 1 eye [inflammation, adhesions] to 12 times both eyes per hour. Dry winters, glare, fatigue increase demand.
• I use Hylo Forte , I have Sjogrens syndrome.
• Freshkote in the am upon waking.
• I also wear Prose.
• Refresh Tears.
• These surveys are great. I thought I was alone. I am a retired teacher and often had to quickly use eye drops between classes. If a student stopped in this three minute period I had to skip the drops. I couldn’t leave the students to use them and my vision became blurred. I taught the students rather than the subject- English and later algebra/ plane geometry- and one day realized I had pretty much memorized the textbook pages. I’m sorry others have this problem but at 70 (Stevens Johnson’s at age 12) it’s good to know I’m not a freak because that’s how I often felt.

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