Monopost drops in the morning

[GriffMum]

hi, I have NTG and have used monopost eye drops for 3 years.I’ve had dry eyes all that time but it’s been getting worse at night ,and despite using Thealoz during the day and Xaillin at night I have severely dry eyes and have to re apply drops or Xaillin during the night, getting to be quite painful.It wakes me up.

As my eyes don’t hurt during the day I wondered if I should try my Monopost eye drops at 7 am when I get up to see if it makes a difference.

Any thoughts appreciated

[Trish_GlaucomaUK Partner]

Hello,

Monopost should be taken at night. This is because any prostaglandin stops the pressures spiking in the night.

It sounds as thought the Xaillin is not sufficient for your night dry eye treatment. There are many different dry eye drops available to use. You mention that you use Thealoz during the day. There is also a gel option for night time use. I think there are a few members of this forum who use it to treat their dry eye. If dry eye becomes severe, there is the option of punctal plugs that can help as well as a small surgical procedure. It would be a good idea to speak to your consultant. They will be able to suggest an alternative drop for you.

I have attached a link to our booklet on dry eye disease which you may find helpful.

glaucoma.uk/product/dry-eye...

[GriffMum in reply to Trish_GlaucomaUK]

Thanks for that Trish, I’ve used the Thealoz duo gel but it isn’t any better at night, tried loads of them.Ive told them at the hospital that my eyes are really dry but not due to be seen for 6 months.

They always say try to persist with the monopost as it’s working for me and has less side effects than the other drops, but it’s really getting me down.

I’ll see if I can get another appointment.Ive never seen a consultant always a registrar, maybe time to ask for an appointment with him

Thanks

[whitedog]

Hi

I sympathise as struggle a lot with it myself but more so in daytime.

The glaucoma clinic never paid much attention to my dry eyes. It was a senior optometrist who happened to be reviewing my scans etc after an appointment who referred me to her iritis clinic and from then she got me in to see a consultant from a corneal clinic.

Wondering if your GP might either be able to either push for an appointment with a consultant at your usual clinic or refer you to a specialist in dry eye conditions at a different clinic?

Meantime - have you tried sleeping with a mask over your eyes to block out the air? Could it be your eyelids aren't fully closed when you sleep?

[GriffMum in reply to whitedog]

Thanks for that info, fat chance of seeing a GP but I’m due for an eye test soon so I’ll get my Optician to assess my condition first.

I’ll try the mask, that’s a good idea.I

Thanks

[PBX142]

I have dry eye too and was advised by Moorfields to use a gel mask which you heat up in a jug of just-boiled water for five mins then lie down with it for ten minutes - it's quite relaxing and soothing! But the real idea is that it melts the goop in the glands at base of our lashes which is a contributary factor in dry eye. The mask is called Magicgel and I bought it for about £10 from Amazon. It can be used cool, too, which is soothing as well but obviously not helpful for dry eye. I was told it takes a few months for a difference to show and I haven't been doing it for that long so can't say yet - I still use Thealoz and Celluvisc 1 pc at night.

[GriffMum in reply to PBX142]

Thanks s for that information, I’ll get one of these masks x

[PBX142 in reply to GriffMum]

The consultant uses it herself so it's a sound recommendation! Good luck x

[Biosphere]

I have advanced glaucoma in both eyes and use monopost at night. It does make the eyes drier. I was using dry eye drops constantly and xailin gel at night with painful eyes the whole time.

I paid to see a consultant who popped in a punctal plug there and then and my life is literally transformed. I still use monopost and xailin at night but rarely have to use eye drops during the day….and my eyes no longer hurt!

As he commented the NHS is so overwhelmed at the moment that they really dont have the time to listen and as long as the pressures are ok things are fine.

It is a real battle to get what you need. I have found the Glaukoma UK webinars really useful to understand how to live better with glaucoma.

Good luck and best wishes

[GriffMum in reply to Biosphere]

Thanks for that info, it’s really tiring having sore eyes, I’ll ask about the plugs as the Monopost is effective and the dry eyes are the only reason I’d want to try another drop.

Thanks everyone for replying

[Nonswimmer]

I have NTG my consultant prescribed preservative free Celluvisc 0.5% three times daily, used 15 mins before my eye drops has helped my eyes.

[dillydream]

I had problems with dry eyes before my glaucoma diagnosis. I found that a warm eye mask ( I used my wheat bag) followed by gentle massage of the lower lid improved it. Have been taking omega 3 for a number of years, recommended by the consultant who did my cataract op. He said fish oil based but I take the plant based one as I saw research that indicated that and I prefer that option. Took me a while to cotton on that air con in the car made it worse, to the point where I had to pull over when driving, as did the central heating when it came on in the autumn. Starting monopost last year has so far not been a problem for me. Different things seem to work for different people so hope these tips help.