Dry eyes

[Koalajane]

Hi I believe dry eyes are to do with PMR. Can anyone recommend eye drops for this please that you can buy over the counter in England. Thanks

[Chrob]

My optician recommended Hypromellose from Boots .

[Koalajane in reply to Chrob]

Thanks for that

[KellyInTexas in reply to Koalajane]

My neuro opthamologist recommended Systane. ( manufactured by Alcon .)

On a side note, as many rheumatic conditions go hand in hand, has your Rheumatoligist mentioned the possibility of Sjögren’s syndrome?

[Rosbud]

Hi my optician recommend Hylo-Fresh drops , which you can buy from the chemist or opticians x

[Koalajane in reply to Rosbud]

Thanks for that

[Rugger]

I use Home Bargains' Dry Eye drops 99p! Contain sodium hyaluronate - the same active ingredient that's in my neighbour's prescription drops! They work well for me.

[Koalajane in reply to Rugger]

Thank you

[Longtimer]

I have tried many over the years, but Blink intensive I found works for me...some made it worse...

[Koalajane in reply to Longtimer]

Where do you get those from please?

[Longtimer in reply to Koalajane]

Optician sold to me, they are also in boots....around £5.......

[Koalajane in reply to Longtimer]

Just ordered some thanks

[Longtimer in reply to Koalajane]

Hope it works for you...3 times a day, but only for a few seconds....

Keep us posted....

[Koalajane in reply to Longtimer]

I will do thanks

[SheffieldJane]

I have Thealoz Duo dry eye drops on prescription. They are the best I have tried. My optician sold them, so they are available in Opticians. They are pricey.

[Koalajane in reply to SheffieldJane]

Thanks

[Thelmarina in reply to Koalajane]

Thealoz duo drops worked for me. They last for three months so you don’t have to renew them on a monthly basis as with other brands. I also use blephaclean wipes.

[Koalajane in reply to Thelmarina]

I use the wipes too thanks

[maria40]

I get Hypromellose in prescription but I think they can be bought over the counter.

[Koalajane in reply to maria40]

Thanks

[Blearyeyed]

I was originally given something called Gel tears which my family also use in Hayfever season and you can buy them at the Chemist OTT.

You can also get better quality Carmellose drops on prescription or over the counter .

You find if you have Dry Eye Syndrome or drug induced Dry Eye sometimes the standard OTT drops on view on the shelf don't help , ask the chemist what they have .

Using them right helps, and often , on a normal OTT style drops before I got prescriptions the Opthamologist told me to use them 6-8 times a day when my eyes were really irritated, at the least you need them four times a day , especially before you leave the house and before bed .

I also have my handy spritz bottle of water for all my cooling needs and I use this in a fine mist on my eyes whenever they start feeling hot to try and prevent it getting bad.

You close the eyes and spray the closed lids , wait, and blink then can off the excess with a little hanky.

Often it's the eyelid skin not just the eyes that is affected , especially with steroids because your skin becomes more delicate and easy to irritate.

When you put any drops in your eyes put your well head back and add the drop closer to the centre , shut the lid gently and leave your head back , then slowly move your eyes from side to side , up and down for upto a minute before leaning fowards .

This stops you losing half the drops down your face or straight down your tear ducts and gets moisture to the top and edges of your eyes too.

Using an eye bath of cool filtered water before drops helps as well especially in the heat.

If you do exercise or swim you need drops before and after as gyms and chlorine dry the eyes like mad.

And drinking alot of mineral water in the hot weather and eating foods high in animal retinol and collagen like eggs , shellfish, oily fish really help feed the eyes too.

If you drink green tea , use the bags like in the 70's over your eyes after the have been in the fridge , not a old wives beauty tip , tea bags work!!

I get a gel for night time on prescription called Vitapos A , don't know if it's OTT too , but this really helped as it's a retinol vitamin gel which replenishes the oils of the eye as well as the moisture.

My drops are now prescribed and called Celluvist / Celluvisc , they are very expensive so never get prescribed first , and come in little individual doses bombs , because they are more biologically natural and closest to actual tears , but it was lots of attempts with quicker products before the GP would admit the Opthamologist was right and I needed them. I don't know if they come OTT but when you get to the point of proper Red Eye , Episcleritis or Scleritis I would definitely having an emergency month in them .

Hope it feels better soon.

[Koalajane in reply to Blearyeyed]

It is such a shame that we cannot get eye drops on prescription in my area, my husband uses viscotears at night and another one which I can’t remember the name of and he was told he now had to buy them.

[Koalajane in reply to Blearyeyed]

Thanks I will try the tea bags too

[Blearyeyed in reply to Koalajane]

And the spritz bottle that you can chill in the fridge , that's a godsend and you can use it to cool your head , neck or feet and ankles on a walk or in hot weather too!

[Hidden in reply to Koalajane]

I bought hydromoor (?) From pharmacy. They were more expensive but come in indivdual vials. You usually have to use drops within a timeframe. The vials go to the end of the use by date. My eyes are a lot less dry on lower doses of pred.

[Koalajane in reply to Hidden]

What dose of Pred are you on now? I am on 4.5mg

[Hidden in reply to Koalajane]

6mg so obviously lower dose don't help you! Hope you find a solution in more ways than one!!😉

[Grants148]

I always use Hypromellose from Boots,it has always worked for me .

[Koalajane in reply to Grants148]

Thanks

[HeronNS]

Can't help with brand names but try to find artificial tears which are preservative free as many ppl are sensitive to the preservatives. I think there is a kind made in Germany(?) which is preservative free and in a special dispenser which would be better than the one day only vials.

[HeronNS]

Actually I think this is it:

candorvision.com/hylo/

I know it's available in Canada so should be in UK as well.

[Koalajane in reply to HeronNS]

Thanks

[Nerak12]

Hi Koalajane

My optician (Boots) recommended “Hyco san Extra” which I obtained direct from him. Absolutely brilliant! Good luck.

[Koalajane in reply to Nerak12]

Thanks and I will try some of these

[Blearyeyed in reply to Koalajane]

You might need to check what is happening with your eyes before trying different makes , as some do cause increased irritation unless they are the one that are suitable to your condition

[Koalajane in reply to Blearyeyed]

I see an ophthalmologist regularly as I have macular oedema and have injections in my eyes regularly (left eye about every 4 weeks and right eye every 8 weeks). The opthamologist just said keep them moisturised.

[Bethy]

I use Celluvic and a dry eye mask that you heat both are excellent.

[Casia]

I’ve very sensitive dry eyes and use Liquifilm which is cheap and doesn’t irritate them as some of the others do. Boots don’t sell it unless you order it but my pharmacist stocks it.

[JaneBond]

Hypromellose is available at most chemists. I've been using it for years and it's very effective. The Boots product is a little more expensive than the others.

[Daffodilia]

I use hypromelose from Boots

[Sniggi]

Are you sure this is not Sjogrens? Can have similar symptoms to PMR.

[Hacey in reply to Sniggi]

Yes, I thought of that too.

[Koalajane in reply to Sniggi]

I don’t think it is as it only developed about 6 months after PMR diagnosis and I don’t have a dry mouth.

Thanks

[Hidden]

I learned many years ago, that a lot of the problems of dry eyes are caused by the preservatives in the eye drops. I currently use Hyabak which are available otc but I am prescribed them. One of my Consultants also prescribed Ciclosporin eye drops, which are prescription only. Someone mentioned VitA -pos gel, that is available otc. Although there was a manufacturing problem a few months ago. I believe it is available again.

[Islandgirl50]

Hi Koalajane , am wondering if you live in Australia with a tag name like that . I love it!

Yes, I have been suffering dry eye syndrome for a long time , I started on 65 mg prednisalone just over 3 years ago , now down to 2.5 🤗🤗🤗, of course cataracts had a party , and my eyes are excessively dry . My specialist gave me Systane ultra drops . They certainly do help and are available at any chemist .they are available in seperate vials (about 40 in a packet , or container of 10 ml ) . I chose the later just because the lesser amount of plastic used. Also , protect your eyes always from the sun and the wind. ( that's just my little spell , hope this helps . 🌹🌹

[Koalajane in reply to Islandgirl50]

No I don’t live in Australia but love koalas. My daughter is living in Sydney at the moment so have been over to see the koalas.

I have eye problems anyway, macular oedema, so I do protect my eyes with reactolite glasses and wear a cap (with a koala on) when out in the sun. Thanks

[Telian in reply to Koalajane]

I bought a gel eye mask, as recommended by consultant, and it is a godsend. You microwave or freeze, but the heated way makes the eyes feel so lovely - even without drops! Can’t remember the name off hand but if interested come back to me.

[Hellyowl]

I have GCA (3.5) years and always wore rigid contact lenses. I have never had dry eyes. I have recently had to change to soft lenses to have cateract surgery and have suddenly got dry eyes. Optician says it is the soft lenses causing it. I use Hyco San Extra and after the first couple weeks using them 3 times a day I mostly only need them once a day around tea time. However, I think the most effective thing she told me was a warm compress on the eyes twice a day. I do it morning and last thing at night. That helps me more than anything.

[Koalajane in reply to Hellyowl]

Thanks. I do the warm compress the same as you.

[Suet3942]

I find taking a capsule of flaxseed oil every day really helps with dry eyes. takes about 2 weeks to kick in.

[Koalajane in reply to Suet3942]

Hi Suet, where do you get your capsules from please?

[Suet3942 in reply to Koalajane]

Holland and Barrett. Are you in Aussie though. ?

[Koalajane in reply to Suet3942]

No in England. Will pop into Holland and Barrett on Monday. Thanks

[Suet3942 in reply to Koalajane]

Hi KJ, they have their penny sale on at the mo. Make sure you get the cold pressed flaxseed. Hope it helps but give it time. Not immediate. I had laser eye surgery about 8 years ago prior to getting pmr. My eyes were terribly dry after and I was berating myself for inflicting problems, but after 2 to 3 weeks I really noticed a difference. Have now cut down to one capsule every other day. It also moisturises other (lady) parts, which as a 70 year old has really helped 😃😃

[Telian]

Hi Koalajane

Couldn't say if PMR is the cause of dry eye as I had mine prior to the AI but it has worsened. I use prescription Gel Tears. Have used the Hypromellose in the past. There are quite a few, choose a preservative free one - recommended by hospital eye consultant.

I've had dry eye for many years, never knew I'd got it until optician told me as it never seemed to bother me. As I've got older and more ailments I am aware of it and cannot be without my drops. I also have blepharitis. My dry eye was caused by Acne Rosacea - I am reliably told - and now have blocked sebacious glands in my forehead apparently as a result! It's a minefield. I only found this out at my cataract post-op consultation. He was a non NHS consultant brought in my the NHS as they couldn't deal with demand - plus he's cheaper than the hospital one - he says. He was very thorough - more so than the hospital seem to have time for under the NHS.

Thought it worth sharing as there seems to be more to our eyes conditions than we realise.

Best wishes.

[damasio]

Hi Koalajane,

6 months ago, In my 5th year with pmr, I was diagnosed with Sicca syndrome - which means dry eyes, mouth, nose, etc. basically wherever should be moist is dry. The rheumatologist thinks that it is a side effect of the steroids used to treat the PMR. There are two kinds of drops which don;t have preservatives and are considered by my eye specialist to be the best available. They can be prescribed by the GP or bought over the counter which is much more expensive -

At night I use the gel version of hylocomod and the non-gel version for daytime use. The. 10 cc Bottles can be used for 6 months after opening which is a great advantage. The gel for night use doesn’t blur your eyes so you can read before going to sleep!

The other kind is systane but the gel version for night use blurs my eyes and takes over 30 minutes to clear which is a nuisance. Also, it can only be used for 3 months after opening which is a real waste if you have to throw it away.

Hope this helps

[Koalajane]

Thanks, unfortunately my area does not let anyone have eye drops on prescription

[Blearyeyed in reply to Koalajane]

They may change their minds as this is an ongoing problem .

With some GP practises they only prescribe for certain conditions or if you have had dry eyes for more than 3 months and tried shop bought eye drops and had no relief.

The optician is usually more useful or if you can cope with the wait the emergency eye clinic at the hospital which is for all eye conditions not just injuries.

[Koalajane in reply to Blearyeyed]

I don’t think they will change their minds. My husband has to have 2 types of gel and ointment prescribed by the eye clinic and the prescription was carried on by the doctor. This was for about 4years but the local CCG stopped it last year and he now buys them. I understand stopping paracetamol but his eye drops are very expensive.

[animalactivist]

Hylo-forte intensive lubricating drops

[Hellyowl]

I am seeing a consultant next Wednesday because I have had a rapid deterioration of vision in my left eye (the side I had GCA symptoms) since my last eye test, I have not had a flare in that time, so my optician does not understand what is going on.

[Koalajane in reply to Hellyowl]

Good luck with that

[Telian in reply to Hellyowl]

Let us know how you get on Hellyowl. Hope it’s nothing serious.

[Hellyowl]

Thanks for all your good wishes, will report back

[Evyb]

I don't know what pmr is however was prescribed Carmize 1% by Eye consultant every two hours , works for me.