So welcome to the world of peri-menopause where membranes get dryer. My eyes started to get cranky with my contact lenses so I visited the doc and, ta-da! Dry eye.
The drops for this are over-the-counter and ridiculously expensive, even at Costco.
Does anyone else have this, and what drops are best that don't cost an arm & leg?
Thanks!
Blink (blue bottle) works for me. It's on sale often at CVS and there are coupons in the newspapers. I buy the smaller bottle, because I can use it up within the 90 days before you are advised to toss it.
Systane is the best. They are more expensive than most eye drops but they actually lubricate as opposed to moistening. They also don't irritate your eyes at all. I keep a bottle at my desk because all I do is look at data which seems to make my contacts one with my eyes. My eye doctor said they were the only way to go.
Oh and if you have a Costco membership they are on sale through Sunday.
Due to a stroke, my husband needs constant and consistent eye lubrication. His docs all recommended Refresh brand. They said to try for preservative free since he uses it so often. They make many items and some come with coupons and they have an online program for savings that I haven't quite figured out. He uses liquigel and ointment and I use their refresh plus eye drops. He can't blink, so without this stuff he would have lost his vision by now.
Not sure if this will help but I have the same problem. I tried some drops - just checked, I have thrown out the bottle. They were included in a saline pack so probably from Bausch and Lomb. Little blue bottle.
Personally, they irritated my eyes. And I found them a bit sticky.
There are some contacts specifically made to be a little less likely to dry out. I have acuvue 2. They are disposables, and they are far better than some I've tried.
I tend to have to take mine out earlier in evening now - that's been my solution. If I am going out that evening, I remove and rinse with saline. I have found that worked better for me than the drops.
I didn't realize this could be peri-menopause related, I get this and it's making me crazy!! I use drops called 'blink' that are over the counter. They might make a couple varieties, I use the gel drops, they are a little thicker (you can tell because it takes a while for them to absorb, they don't just blink away) but they aren't sticky or weird either. I'll be reading to see what others use as well.
You certainly need one that is for moisture and not for anything else. Most contain some sort of medication that you can't put in your eye more than a couple of times per day. Ask a pharmacist or your eye doc for a recommendation.
Ask your doctor for some samples of what he recommends so you and try them before buying. Doctors also often have coupons.
I have dry eyes and my doc recommended blink.
