Eye gels

[Silver_Fairy]

I know there was a question recently on eye gels and I have a list!

My last visit to the hospital the Ophthalmologist kindly changed my eye drops to a preservative free one, as I told her I was using the drops more than 5/6 times per day. She gave me two different types but they are not 'thick' enough.

I have lacrilube for nights and had Clinitas Gel for days which was very soothing. Thing is I would like to suggest a more gel like product but I cannot tell by the list which ones these would be. Help please!!

[Fruitandnutcase]

If you put your list up people will be more able to tell you which of them are gels and which are not.

[Silver_Fairy]

I have looked some up and think they are gels - Systane, Visco Tears Gel, Minims Artificial Tears, and Celluvisc.

The others are Naturale, Hycosan, Clinitas Hydrate.

Please put me right if any are not preservative free. I also need to know whether GP has ever refused to prescribe (usually down to cost!)

[Fruitandnutcase in reply to Silver_Fairy]

Celluvisc is a liquid type of gel, very good but expensive. Systane do gel, gel drops and eye drops, Minims artificial tears are liquid, not great, Visco tears is a gel. Tears Naturale is just hypromelose, not great, HycoSan, a liquid but very effective, Clinitas Hydrate, is a gel.

Preservative free - Celluvisc, you can get Viscotears minims that are preservative free and HycoSan and HycoBac. You can get Systane in individual doses but it isn't as good as some of the others.

I use HycoSan and Viscotears and at the moment I'm using VitA- Pos which which is a gel and is quite good.

Think you can get Hylo-Tear, Hylo-Forte , Hylo-Care (they are related to the Hyco ones) on prescription and Celluvisc but that is expensive so doctors might not be keen to prescribe it. If you google them you can find out the prices. Hope that helps

[helvella Administrator in reply to Fruitandnutcase]

Absolutely - you have to be wary of products which common both preserved and preservative-free forms. I have used quite a bit of ViscoTears and have to get the Single Dose Units because they are the ones that are preservative-free. The standard multi-dose bottle has preservative.

[Fruitandnutcase in reply to Fruitandnutcase]

Should have added I hate Lacrilube - it is so thick and gunky (I know it is meant to be but even then) I felt it was like sticking my finger in a tub of Vaseline and shoving it in my eye. Definitely a last thing at night once you have out your book down and put the light out and you aren't planning on doing anything that involves being able to see

[HarryE]

I use Systane Ultra, although there is plain systane too. They are drops, although In suppose they may make it in gel too. It is a lot more expensive than other dry eye drops. I am prescribed it by the eye hospital

[Silver_Fairy in reply to HarryE]

Thanks Harry, are they preservative free?

[HarryE in reply to Silver_Fairy]

No but I have got on very well with them, even though I had to change to preservative free other drops.

[Silver_Fairy]

Thank you all, will see what they will prescribe for me!