ANA Discussion Forum
Post-Treatment => Eye Issues => Topic started by: Goldie on January 16, 2011, 06:48:32 pm
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I know several of you use Refresh PM and would like to find out more about it. Is it a lubricant gel or ointment? I currently use Refresh Celluvisc at night, which I like, and artificial tears once in a while during the day. Anyone have a comparison of Celluvisc and Refresh PM?
I had dry eyes before my surgery, but I now have no tears on my surgery side. I'm on the computer at work a lot and my eye is quite "pink" by the end of the day. I suspect I need to use the tears more during the day. I do have a punctal plug and my eye does close. I have an eye appointment coming up but would like your input on Refresh PM, as it's one I haven't tried yet. I'd appreciate any info. Thanks.
Denise
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Denise,
The various PM products I have tried, including Refresh, have all been lubricating ointments. I have no tears on the left side to speak of. I occasionally notice that my is blinking a moisture though (technically tears, but not so as one would notice...if I cry for any reason, it is all one sided), I spend most of the day in front of a computer, and I find if just lubricate my eye really well at bedtime, that is generally all I need for 24 hours unless I am outside in the cold a lot.
I hope this helps,
Tod
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I have used both and they both worked okay for a while. But my dry eyes continue to be a big problem for me. I am now on Restasis for the past few months, but not noticing much of an improvement. At my last eye appointment my doctor told me to try Soothe XP by Bausch & Lomb. They have made a big dfference. Some people might not like them because your vision becomes hazy for the first few minutes, but once you get past that, they really do soothe your eyes. :)
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I have used Refresh PM for 15 years - once in the morning and once at night (& any time in between that gets red). I also just started Restatis and I go back for the 6 week check soon. Dave & I were just talking today about whether it was helping me. Seems I have had more dry eye and trouble since I started it. Also, it is a pain to have to wait 15 minutes before I can put in Refresh PM or my contact. It gets REALLY red in those 15 minutes so I wonder how it can be good for it! I know Lori has had success with it though!
K ;D
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Denise, Refresh pm and also lacrilube are a clear gel. Heavier than Celluvisc. I use the gel in my rt eye at night and Refresh Liquigel in the day if needed which is not every day. The liquigel is lighter than Celluvisc. Sounds like you do need a heavier day use than just tears. I also have never had an issue with the preservative which is in Liquigel. Some do and then need to use the little vial of a preservative free one. Everyone has to figure out which does work the best for them. Other brands work for some people but Refresh does for me. Cheryl R
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I use the Refresh PM at night and it seems to work better than other brands I've tried. I am having good results from the Restasis, but my doctor was not sure if I would since our dry eye issues are not just normal issues. But we gave it a try and it's working well. I rarely use drops during the day now. And actually, I've been able to "downgrade" the nighttime gel to the Walgreen's brand, which is cheaper! Before, I found it was too watery (it is an ointment, but not as thick as Refresh) and I had to put more in during the night. Now it does the trick the whole night. Whoohooo - I'm all for saving money! ;D
I do have problems with the preservatives in Liquigel and others. I use the Optive single use vials if I need anything during the day, and if I feel like I need something more, I keep Celluvisc vials on hand. It really is just a matter of trial and error to see what works for you. I make sure to get a bunch of samples from my eye doctor whenever I go so I can try things out to see if there's something I like better. He gave me a sample of Soothe one time and it felt like I was pouring acid in my eyes! Yikes! :o So, really it just depends on the individual.
Lori
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Yeah...I am finding that I feel like in the morning that I should have put more in during the night - which I have NEVER done - since I started the Restatis!!
K ;D
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I also tried Restasis and it didn't seem to help me at all. My eye appointment is next week and that's a great idea to ask for samples. I hate spending a lot on this stuff just to try it and not like it.
Thanks for all the tips!
Denise
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I use either Refresh PM or Celluvisc gel drops during the day and Refresh PM at night. I tried GenTeal ointment, but it is a bit too runny and just ends up all over my face (whichi really isn't the look I'm going for :D :D). I have a punctal plug which certainly helps, but even with that I have to lube my eye several times a day most days. Inconvenient, but you get used to it.
Debbi
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I tried various drops and gels and even putting them in every hour during the day didn't seem to do enough for me. I always felt like there was something in my eye. So I went to using Refresh PM, which is a thick ointment, throughout the day, as well as at night. I usually put it in every few hours throughout the day and then of course, right before I go to sleep.
I was considering trying Restasis, but it doesn't sound like it works for most. I'll be interested to see what people's upcoming eye appointments tell about that.
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Here's a tip for using Restasis- keep it in the refrigerator and then when you use it, it burns much less, in fact it feels refreshing. I'm not sure if it's helping me much, but since my insurance is paying for it I have nothing to lose. :)
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Thanks for the Restasis tip. My doctor said that it really wasn't designed for the AN scenario and that if it helped, it would take at least a month. Thought I would give it a try. I have noticed slight improvement so far, but I don't know if that it because of the Restasis.
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Hi
I use refresh pm night and day. Its hard to focus but feels better than dry eye.
I have a plug in my AN eye and was wondering if anyone has a 2nd plug and if that has helped any.
Thanks
Jennifer
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I did have two plugs at one point, about 6 months ago. They were great in the beginning, I had almost instant relief. Then my AN eye started tearing too much- whenever I would eat the tears would drip down my face. My 8 year old nephew joked with me and said that if I wanted to cry with both eyes all I had to do was eat at the same time. The tearing finally got to the point when it would tear too much in between eating and my vision would be blurry from too many tears. So I had one plug removed, my eye became dry and painful again, and I am using Restasis for 3 months with very little improvement. I go back to my eye doctor in 2 weeks and am considering putting the 2nd plug back in because my eye hurts most of the time even with drops. (I also have glaucoma and the glaucoma meds tend to dry your eyes too). There doesn't seem to be a happy medium :(
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Hi
Do you think the time of the year or the climate had any affect on the extra tears your AN eye was producing? One of my drs doesn't want to give me a second plug because he thinks in the summer time my eye won't be as dry.
Here's an idea...what if the second plug was a temporary one and by summertime if would be dissolved??? hmmm I may need to call and ask the dr about that one.
Hope you can find some moisture at your appt
Jennifer
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Hi Goldie: Everyone has great suggestions, & as said, you will find what works best for you. For the past 4 years, due to my total facial paralysis, I use Refresh PM (lubricant) exclusively, all day & evening. At night, before sleep I have to wear the NightEye bubble bandage - it is a plastic bubble that adheres to the eye area to form a 'greenhouse' effect while I sleep to maintain moisture/protect my 'open eye' while laying down sleeping. I have learned to adjust to the constant blurriness in my right (AN) eye. Always good thoughts, Nancy
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Just a little update since I first wrote. My eye doctor said "I see something new since last year" which turned out to be a tiny nodule on my cornea, which in turn has been irritating my eyelid, made worse by the dry eye, and on and on. I saw a dry eye specialist later who said it was a "no-brainer" to remove the nodule, so I'm having that done tomorrow. So we'll see how my eye feels after that. It won't affect the tear production, but hopefully it won't feel as irritated and get as red. He said we could also try a second plug in the upper lid, but we're taking one thing at a time.
I guess it's just something to keep in mind...not all of our problems are necessarily related to our AN's - although it does seem that way sometimes! Thanks for all the good advice.
Denise D.
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Hi Goldie: so the nodule isn't AN related ?? Let us know how you are doing. My oculoplastic surgeon told me that b/c of my paralysis, even though I produce lots of tears, they're useless b/c I don't have the 'horizontal shift' that allows the tears to lubricate the eye. Don't know if you have paralysis in your eye (I hope not), b/c I don't know that plugs would help if you do. Anyway, I'm hoping you are feeling better. Let us know. Always good thoughts, Nancy
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Thanks, Nancy. The surgery went fine and you'd never know anything was done by looking at my eye. The pain is almost gone and I wear a "contact bandage" (basically a clear contact) until Sunday. It doesn't appear to be related to the AN (he explained it as the cells miscommunicating - can't say I understood it all!). I don't have eye paralysis. I go back in 6 mo and then we can revisit if I need to do anything else, like an upper plug. Hopefully my eye will at least feel less irritated now. Keeping my fingers crossed!
Denise D.
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great news Goldie ! hope all continues to go well. Continued healing my friend, always good thoughts, Nancy