Availability problems wit Thealoz eye drops

[muddledme]

I live in the South West and had difficulty today when collecting my eye drops.

The pharmacist said that the Thealoz Duo eye gel U.D preservative free was out of stock and there was no idea when any may become available.

Apparently the Thealoz Duo UD drops are also in short supply because of production problems but may be available from mid March.

I have my long list of likely local dispensing pharmacies and eventually found a small pharmacy who had a spare box, so it is usually worth phoning around, but it is a worry. Sometimes the lubricating drops can be bought on line , but even then they are often out of stock. I find the gel drops so effective for post op dry eye that I rarely need any plain Thealoz Duo UD drops during the day.

Does anyone have an alternative effective preservative free night gel lubricant ?

[Redshoes15]

Hi muddledme

I use Thealoz Duo gel drops at night and have been ordering them from Amazon. So far, no problems with supply. I too find them very effective so that I need less lubricating drops during the day.

[Choirlover]

I too had problems getting the Theoloz Duo from local stockists in December but the pharmacist suggested Hylo-Forte drops instead and I have found them to be equally as good. No preservatives. Only problem was price but they last for 6 months rather than 3 and as I only use them intermittently then that was a bonus for me.

[Mel114]

I visited my optician last week and he suggested Blink Intensive Plus which is available on Amazon. I’ve only been using it a couple of days but so far it seems to be working well.

[AlfredV]

I've stopped using a night ointment but when I did I found Xailin Night to be very good. There were supply problems with this last year but it looks like it is available now.

[muddledme in reply to AlfredV]

Thank you all so much for your helpful ideas. I had forgotten about 'Blink' drops, but remember they were quite good and I believe they may be manufactured in the UK.

I have noted all the suggestions to try if Thealoz remains elusive !

Today I queued about 30 minutes in a pharmacy and received a box of gel on prescription, they even had an extra box I could buy. £13 for the gel and another equal amount or more for the plain duo would be expensive every month , especially for pensioners. The disease is not self inflicted as I have a strong family history , this is also the only medication I take. It worries me that someone is probably not able to afford or obtain eye medication when it should be on the NHS and going without may eventually cost the NHS a fortune caring for preventable sight loss.

[PBX142]

Hi, I get my Theoloz Duo drops (liquid) and Celluvisc 1% (gel) free because they are prescribed by my NHS glaucoma specialist, along with my glaucoma meds. Surely if you ask for these on prescription your specialist/consultant will agree? I have found that if you don't ask, you don't get...!

[muddledme in reply to PBX142]

Hello PBX142

Thank you for your reply, glad you are able to get your drops free on prescription. Mine are also prescribed by the eye surgeon via the GP on the NHS but were very difficult to obtain from local chemists who told me there was a shortage and no idea when they would be available again. Eventually I did get one box from my NHS prescription but bought another for peace of mind. Without these drops my eyes are so sore.

It took me a long time to obtain these drops and many hours phoning around. What worried me was the thought of some patients either not able to get out and about trying different chemists , and maybe not able to afford to buy them from Amazon or other suppliers.

This problem has occured regularly over the years and so I wanted to warn others, it was very useful to hear of alternative treatments.

Best wishes