ANA Discussion Forum
Post-Treatment => Eye Issues => Topic started by: LADavid on February 14, 2008, 09:38:35 am
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Hi All
I've noticed a lot of you have referred to eye lubricants. From your experience, what seems to be the best? I've been using Refresh Celluvisc once or twice a day with a contact on my cornea. It keeps my eye comfortable but my vision is blurry and the stuff is expensive without a prescription. Is there anything that seems to work for you that is a little less pricey? Maybe a generic.
Thanks
David
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Hi David. I found the Celluvisc to make things cloudy too and be expensive! We should all buy stock in the eye drop factories!
I like the Refresh Liquigel the best, but I don't need to use much during the day. At night I use Lacrilube. I have found that the Refresh products are a little cheaper at Sam's club or places like that. Also, a lot of the stores have their own brand that is the same as the name brand. I spent about an hour in the supermarket one day just reading the labels and found some of the store brands were exactly the same as the more expensive ones. We have Kroger and Walgreen's out here, not sure what you have there, but I'm sure they'd have something.
Lori
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I liked Celluvisc .. but it was a bit pricey :o
Lacri lube was the best.. but its you can't see a darn thing . and its pricey too ! .. I found a generic lube at Target.. $6 .. instead of the 20$ .. I still use it at night ..
I never did use Refresh Liq ... but many people have and all really liked it.. its worth a try...
today I can get by with a nightly gooping at night !! .. (2+ years) .. but I still dont leave home without a Systane bottle just in case.. (cause long trips driving and dusty areas are hard on the eyes)
as I get older I'm beginning to understand why my wifes purse weights in at 20 pounds ... between eye drops and extra baha batteries and holder .. it seens I can't leave the house without pockets full of something.... ::) ::)
ps... If your using an electric shaver... stop .. I found the little bits of hair where getting in my eye.... or if your eye is feeling extra bad.. take a close look in the mirror .. I can't tell you how many times I found a little tiny eye lash stuck on my eye .. and after taking it out.. I felt much better!
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Hi David~
I had a LOT of problems with my eye after surgery (I finally had to have it sewn shut for 3 months!) but now I am problem-free!! I used Refresh PM all the time until I finally had a gold weight put in a couple of years ago, but would still have fairly frequent scratched corneas. Now that I have the weight, I hardly ever have the scratches. I still use the Refresh PM, but only at night. I use 1 drop of Systane in the morning after my shower. It is VERY windy here the majority of the time and so that is why I use so much and sometimes have to use a little more.
Now why do you wear a contact? To correct vision in that eye? I was under the impression you couldn't wear a contact in that eye...I would really like to know about that!! :o) The Refresh PM does REALLY distort your vision -- probably why they only recommend it for night!!!
I do have a VERY interesting story about when I got my weight and how my vision MIRACULOUSLY was better, if anyone wants to hear!!
Happy Valentine's Day!
K
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Hi there David: I use Refresh PM lubricant exclusively - I use it about every 2-3 hours until I go to sleep - it's the only one I found soothing enough.
My vision is real blurry from it, but I've learned to live with it.
For sleep I use an eye bubble/moisture chamber every night.
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Thank you everyone for your input. I think I need to do some lable reading on the generics. And K, as far as the contact --it's a clear one place on my cornea by the opthomologist that works in coordination with the House Clinic. Is this not a good thing? Does anyone else know? It was very irritating at first but it seems to hold the gel in place. And K, yes I would like to know about your eye surgery. I'm discussing the possibility of me having it with the eye doctor next week.
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David~
I am sure the contact is a good thing -- so much has changed since I had my surgery, but I thought that if it was to improve your vision, I needed to know about it!! I will write out the whole eye story tomorrow (when I am not as tired) -- it is not bad or anything -- I would recommend the surgery to anyone -- it is just a really wierd, but neat story!
K
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Just an FYI folks: I just got my tax info ready for the appt. with my acct. tomorrow.
COST OF EYE LUBRICANT FOR 2007: $206.79 Money well spent I'd say!
ps: I'm sure I spent more though - these were just the receipts I remembered to save!!!
Refresh PM costs $9.49 per tube, & I know I go thru more than 2/month, so, do the math!
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Wow! I never even thought about all that stuff & taxes!! What can I say...dumb blonde or what?? :D
K
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I don't know whether this applies to CVS stores nationally, but at least here in Southern California, Refresh products are on sale (with a CVS card) for $10.99 this week.
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David~
You got your picture!!! I can't find an image that I think will be good. OK, since you said you are an actor, I've been waiting to see if I recognize you, but it's too small...so are you famous?? You are here anyway for what all you have been thru!! We're all stars!! :D
I meant to write that, that CVS has Refresh on sale sometimes now -- used to NEVER find it on sale!!
K
PS I will try to write the eye story later today after my daughter's basketball game -- it is cold and dreary here, so I'll have time later, i hope...
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WOW - things are more expensive in LA, even with a sale!
David, I hadn't heard of using a contact lens to keep the gel/lubricant in. I have an appt. Monday, 2/18 with my opthalmologist -
I'm going to ask him about this - maybe for some reason I'm not a candidate? Sounds like something that would
help if it keeps the gel only on the cornea & not all over the eyeball, eyelashes, etc.....
Thanks for the info.
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Just have to put my 2 cents in on this topic, should be finishing the laundry but that can wait. I use a generic eye lubricant called Puralube, I get it at Value Rite stores, the stores have different names but they carry Value Rite products. The ointment is only $3.63 a tube thankfully has I use it about every 15 minutes. I go through at least a tube a day. Tax wise about $1500 a year, never have claimed it don't think our total medical expenses are high enough. Back to work, Jill
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K -- yes we are the stars. There are many here in the acting business who couldn't hold a candle to the determination and the courage of people on this board. As far as being famous -- I think you could categorize me more as being familiar. It's funny -- I get more calls and emails from friends about an episode I did on Reba where I played a minister and Reba collaspsed. More recently I played the President on Airforce One in Transformers. You see my red socks more than you see me -- I say "kin you git me a Dingdong?" And you might remember this -- there was a print ad last fall for Cavemen showing the evolutionary progression with the Cavemen being at the top. I'm the businessman grabbing my briefcase -- second from the bottom. Basically, I'm a working actor -- not one of the rich ones. And to keep the money coming in -- I do stand-in work. I'm Jack Nicholson's stand-in -- whenever he works.
And Nancyann, I don't know what to say about the contact. When I was still in the hospital, the opthomologist put the contact in my eye. It's clear -- well it is without all the gel -- and it's there to protect the cornea. Since I didn't wear contacts before, it was hard getting adjusted to it. But I guess it helps -- I don't have anything to compare it to. I do know that when I'm awake, the gel seems to be fairly concentrated around the contact.
Have a great weekend!
David
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There are many here in the acting business who couldn't hold a candle to the determination and the courage of people on this board.
David, no truer words spoken... and remember, you are one of them, as well :)
Continued wellness to you,
Phyl
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OK...here is the much awaited (?) eye story!!
I always had HORRIBLE vision in both my eyes -- my right eye was 20/400 and my left was 20/300 (legally blind w/o correction) and I could not really see anything, even up close, but blobs w/o contacts or glasses. After my surgery and SO much trouble, the opthomologist & I decided to just use Refresh PM all the time in my RIGHT eye. Like we have said before, since it really is a night-time lubricant, it distorted my vision totally. It really didn't matter if I wore my glasses or 1 contact so since I saw better out of my contacts, I just wore the left one. When I finally had the weight put in (SEVEN YEARS after my surgery!), I immediately saw a change in my vision, even though the weight was just topical. I was so excited to go back to the Dr. and was willing to wear glasses again if it would make my vision better. In my mind, there was NO question that I would need something since I had had to wear correction since 6th grade. When I did go back, he wanted to wait -- and as an aside, that was when I had the WORST attitude during this whole ordeal (I think I have maintained a good attitude about the whole AN thing until then!). As the weeks went by & I would go back for tests, I could tell that it was better, but not for sustained periods of tiime and not so we could get a good test. I would see clearly for a fraction of a second and then it would blur again -- & my attitude was getting worse & worse! One day, the Dr. said. "But the best reading we're getting is 20/30.." to which I replied, "...but I can't see! <voiced raised>" and then it hit me like a ton of bricks-- I was seeing 20/30 (in a good second) WITHOUT CORRECTION!!!!!!!!!!!!! This Dr. wasn't really aware of what my vsion had been before b/c I had moved away and then back here and couldn't go to the Doc I had seen all of my life since he was an optometrist instead of an opthomolgist (SP?) -- needless to say, he was a bit surprised and started thumbing thru my chart. I couldn't see how an eyelid surgery could improve my vision THAT drastically and he agreed with me that the only answer was that it truly was a miracle (who says they don't happen anymore?) -- there is ABSOLUTELY no medical reason/response for this. My SIL said maybe when they were in there so long for the AN surgery that they unknowingly "wiggled" my optic nerve!!! Whatever the cause, I am enjoying VERY brief seconds of clear vision out of that eye!!! The Dr. said that the clear/unclearness is probably caused by the fact that my lid sometimes distributes the tears better than others depending on how my lids functions/shuts.
OK...so that is my happy, little story. Kind of neat, huh?
K
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Well, whatever it was that caused it - good for you! Maybe you found another option to Lasik surgery!
I think there may be something to the optic nerve wiggling though, because I had 20/20 vision going into surgery - it's 20/30 now, which I can't complain about, but when I went to the eye doctor for my routine exam, he said my AN side pupil reacts a lot slower than the other side. That explains why going out into the sun feels like a spotlight is being held directly in front of me!
You just never know what fun things are going to happen after this surgery, do you? A surprise around every corner!
David, I'm going to look for you on those shows and movies you mentioned! If you ever come to Nashville to visit Reba, let me know! ;D
Lori
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Lori
I'll definitely let you know if I'm in Nashville. I also want to mention that of all the people I've worked with in the business, Reba was the sweetest. She set the tone for that show that was obvious in everyone that worked on it. I was only there for two days but I felt a part of the family. There are soooo many bad things said about Hollywood, I always like to say something good when I can. And the episode to look for is the last of the next to last season. When I worked on it, they still weren't sure that they would be picked up for the next season. It was their "jumping the shark" episode with Reba collapsing at the alter. Have a great Sunday.
David
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I saw the opthalmologist today & asked about the contact for use with lubricant - he felt it would 'dry' my eye.
In 2 weeks I see the eye surgeon - I'm going to ask again about the contact - I don't like the lubricant going all over
the eye, on the eyelashes, & ending up all over my lower lid area - it seems to me keeping the lubricant in place over the
cornea with a contact makes sense......
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Nancyann -- please keep me posted on what the doctor has to say about the contact. I'd like to have another opinion.
Thanks
David
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hello,
I'm new to this forum, well sort of, I used to chat years ago. Anyway, I've used the refresh pm gel for about 5 years. I use it all day as my facial nerve was traumatized but not severed. Yet I still cannot blink. I have a very large weight, and it helps at night. I put a ton of lubricant in and my eye almost closes. I tried for about a year to use only drops during the day after I had an eye lift to correct some drooping. But now I just clear my eye for tennis (it's a bit hard to make contact with the ball with one eye!!!). I've heard about the contact thing, but my opthamologist mentioned as an option to "black out" my vision because that eye is so blurry because of the lubricant. A side benefit she did say was that it would keep the eye lubricated longer.
Jeanette
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For what it is worth, I have partial facial paralysis - going on 9 months post middle fossa - and my uncle, who is an eye surgeon, recommended GenTeal Severe Dry Eye Relief Gel. I use it all the time during the day. I use its nighttime counterpart while sleeping. (Although my eye closes completely while asleep)
I was advised NOT to use Lacrilube because it is not preservative-free and can be more irritating. I have seen slow but sure progression with my eye since my surgery, so hopefully I won't have to rely on these gels much longer.
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I like the GenTeal daytime stuff, but I didn't have much luck with the night time variety. It seemed to be too watery for me and I'd have to keep getting up in the middle of the night to put more in.
Imagine a day (or night) with no eye drops or goop.....how nice would that be?
Lori
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Lore~
I couldn't even begin to imagine...
K
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Lori: I think about that everyday: Isn't there something the docs can do to make the eye blink enough so we don't need to continuously put in
lubricant? Plus, I KNOW it's not helping my lower lid stay tight every time I pull it to open & drop the lubricant in - geez louise, it's 2008 already,
I want relief from this!! (Well, that said, I see my eye surgeon Monday, 3/3 - going to put the question to him!)
Always good thoughts, Nancy
ps: GenTeal didn't work for me at all, I exclusively use Refresh PM lubricant