Restasis User Reviews & Ratings

• Elle
• Taken for less than 1 month
• April 11, 2019

For Dry Eye Disease "My doctor prescribed Restasis as part of a treatment plan for my chronic dry eye, which has caused some damage to my cornea and also deterioration of my vision. I used it twice a day but had to discontinue after 3 weeks because of severe side effects. These included pain, discomfort, feeling of a foreign object and increased sensitivity to light. In other words, it caused an increase in the symptoms it was supposed to treat! The day I stopped using the drops, the side effects diminished, and the day after they disappeared. I was happy to be back to the condition I had had previously. That's the only positive effect of Restasis - realizing how much better you feel NOT using it. I can't imagine for the life of me why this product is on the market and is being prescribed by physicians."

• Frust...
• June 19, 2019

For Dry Eye Disease "I read the studies & user reviews and I wonder are doctors getting kick backs from Allergan?! Week 2 of Restasis use my eye is dryer, stings/aches throughout the day, and the dryness and feeling of foreign object in my eye is so bad it wakes me at night. What drug worsens your condition before it gets better and takes months before benefit can be seen? Will I even experience positive effects of the drug or just return to baseline or habituate to this useless drug? Restasis is only approved in the US. Foreign drug administrations don’t consider 15% user improvement as enough to justify it with it bad side effects as a treatment for chronic dry eye or MGD. I expressed all of these concerns to my doc and she says stick with it and now take a steroid eye gel to to help the eyes tolerate the Restasis! I honestly hope that in a few weeks I will have to eat my words but as of this moment based on my own experience, user reviews, limited empirical data in support of this medication’s efficacy I am far from optimistic."

• No name
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• July 7, 2019

For Dry Eye Disease "After reading the many reviews that sound really similar to my negative experience, I felt like I needed to enter my own review. My opthamologist prescribed Restasis for my extreme dry eye saying that it could take up to 4 months to start having a positive effect. First, I was shocked at the copay expense of about $500 for a 3 month supply of the daily single dose drops. After six months I told my doctor that I didn't feel any improvement from the drops. She flippantly said to stop taking them then & come back in a year. It made me think that perhaps there was a kick back that had already been paid."

• Very...
• Taken for 5 to 10 years
• February 20, 2020

For Dry Eye Disease "I have used single dose Restasis vials for over 6 years and have been pleased with this product. I just started using the new multi dose bottle. This design is a disaster. I am very careful using it but I wind up getting many drops on my cheek and excessively large drops in my eyes. I suspect Allergan changed the design because users were using the single vials for two daily doses instead of just one. I would suggest Allergan not pin its hopes on the new multi dose bottle unless they improve the design of this bottle. I will request the single use vials as long as they are available. In the meantime I will be researching other medications. I may just discontinue this medication entirely and rely on artificial tears."

• Jimbo
• Taken for less than 1 month
• May 18, 2019

For Dry Eye Disease "I have dry eyes so I was prescribed the Restatasis one week ago. I was told it would take months to really kick in to be effective. The Restatasis caused the side effects of my eyes got bloodshot, teared for no reason and overall a general discomfort. I stopped them today and went back to Systane Ultra and my eyes feel so much better. When it comes to my eyes I'm not messing around with something for months to see if it even works. I do not recommend this drug."

• Melg
• Taken for 2 to 5 years
• March 5, 2021

For Dry Eye Disease "I was hoping to find better information here. I’ve been using this for 2+ years routinely, with absolutely no positive experience. When first stated using, all symptoms immediately become worse, which I wrote off as get going accustomed to a new medication. However, once we got past the original introductory phase, I expected to find, at least, moderate improvement. Not the case - absolutely no improvement. Does anyone have another option? I feel like I’ve tried everything, bit my eyes only continue to get worse regardless of all the effort to improve."

• Faithnh
• November 26, 2016

For Dry Eye Disease "Yes, it burns. Get over it. This is the only medication that's an actual SOLUTION, and not just a bandaid on the problem like lubricants. You will suffer for a month, get used to it because it's worth it. Restasis works, if you'd rather complain and not find a solution than go through a month uncomfortable I am speechless. You can not use inflammatory eye drops, it negates restasis. Be prepared for no makeup, and to look bloodshot for a bit. After a cpl months I'm loving the effect Restasis has had on my eyes. Pro-tip: Stick vials in the fridge, when you put a couple drops in each eye place the topper back on. ONE vial will last 3-4 days, that's putting 2 drops in each eye 2x a day. Recommended is 2 vials a day, bullshit."

• RCano
• Taken for 2 to 5 years
• October 15, 2019

For Dry Eye Disease "Very effective for me, but must be used for at least 4 months to have any chance. Came close to stopping after 3 months. Works by suppressing the immune response to what the body perceives as an attack on the surface of the eye from dry eye. I get it in Canada and US, so not true that only US approves for dry eye. I do reuse the individual vials and get about 3-4 doses per. My cost in either country, with the card, is about $80 per month."

• SherylR
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• July 7, 2019

For Dry Eye Disease "I was prescribed this Restasis for dry eye and cataract surgery. Over time (3+mos), my eyes were inflamed, irritated and painful. It also felt like something was poking my eyeball under my eyelid. I wanted to rip out my eyeballs. I stopped the drops and within 2 days, symptoms are almost gone. Eyes feel almost normal. I'll stick to OTC dry eye drops. I used the single use vials. (use a discount card off their website)"

• Bemopan
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• September 29, 2015

For Dry Eye Disease "I used Restasis for extreme dry eyes. After 2 years and no relief I gave up. Restasis didn't do a thing! I now use Retaine available on line or at pharmacy. It's new...and works great! No prescription needed...and only about $20 for 30 containers. Use just like Restasis."

• Do...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• April 27, 2021

For Dry Eye Disease "I was diagnosed with dry eye disease and MGD. My doc prescribed it and said it would take 3 months to kick in. I took it for almost 3 months and it made my eyes drier than they were before! I stopped taking it. Then my eye lids got really bad. Very swollen and caused by eyes to burn for weeks. It also made my MGD worse! My eyes started to feel better a few months later and still have some side effects of it today, but I wanted to let you know NOT TO TAKE THIS! Just keep up on the artificial tears and start watching your diet! Watch your sugar and coffee and take more vitamin D and B vitamins."

• Ted
• Taken for 2 to 5 years
• May 21, 2019

For Dry Eye Disease "My doctor botched my multifocal cataract surgery and convinced me that I have dry eye. Recommended Restasis 4.5 years ago - I have seen no improvement - what a ripoff for what should have been a very simple operation. My eyes were done in Rochester, NY and he was a real con artist."

• Anonymous
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• August 2, 2012

For Dry Eye Disease "I have been using Restasis for months combined with Azasite. I have been very pleased with the relief it has given my eyes after decades of dealing with painfully dry eyes. I am lucky to have great insurance. The drops are extremely expensive without insurance or good coverage."

• Bobbbi...
• October 19, 2016

For Dry Eye Disease "I am a senior citizen who has been on Restasis for 5 yrs. It is so expensive that using it puts me in the medicare donut hole. The drug company, Allergan, is unwilling to give me assistance in the form of samples and my dr's office gave me two samples one time during the 5 yr. period and after that will not help. I was refused two samples to get me through until Jan 1 when my new insurance year begins. It costs $481.35 for a monthly supply so even though my copay is only $30, I am in the donut hole by August at the latest. Allergan has a racket going on here at the expense of the patient. It's not affordable even though it's effective. Totally unfair, corrupt company."

• Paano
• Taken for less than 1 month
• March 7, 2019

For Dry Eye Disease "OMG. $457.00 paid for initial script of Restasis multi dose after insurance. $40.00 for each month there after. The bottle is a disaster. Almost impossible to squeeze the drop out. It takes 30 seconds minimum and a great deal of pressure has to be used. Sometimes nothing and other times too much. Wasteful to say the least. How can Allergan charge this much money for something with an extreme design flaw. I really want this to work but I don’t see the vial lasting 30 days. Is the company going to help? Or answer the complaints?"

• jessi
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• January 31, 2020

For Dry Eye Disease "Have been using Restasis in the vial form for a couple of years. Have had no side effects, no problem putting this vial form in my eyes. I was coming to the end of this prescription. I have a new ophthalmologist and was ordered the Restasis multi dose. This bottle form did not work for me. Could not get the drops to squeeze out and when the drops did squeeze out, it was too late, I already moved the bottle away from my eye and it dropped on my face, therefore was a wasted expensive drop. Sometimes I would squeeze the bottle and the bottle would stay formed in the squeeze position. The bottle just did not work for me. So I’ve had my ophthalmologist prescribe the vial form. I have not gotten these yet but I know they will work much better."

• Beth
• Taken for 10 years or more
• May 12, 2021

For Dry Eye Disease "I have been using the vial form of Restasis since about 2013 and have never had any trouble with those. The last time I saw my eye doctor he prescribed the multi-dose bottles and I have yet to get them to work well. The first bottle I used lasted 21 days and the second bottle lasted only 12 days. I'm on the 3rd now and I counted a minute and 56 seconds before the first drop entered my eye (and that was after having the bottle turned upside down for 20 seconds before even holding it over my eye. When I called to complain I was told that because there's a filter in the tip to help with sterilization it might take longer and I shouldn't squeeze the bottle more than lightly. I'm sorry over a minute to instill the first drop is unacceptable."

• mitslew
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• April 20, 2013

For Dry Eye Disease "I have used Restasis for about a year now and have seen almost no progress. For most of my life I've had red and bothersome eyes. After trying various eye drops, my doctor recommended Restasis. He said it typically takes 3 to 6 months for it to really kick in but it never did kick in. When I put the drops in it burns my eyes for the first 30 - 40 minutes. I've talked with my doctor about this and he said it is normal but should go away after some time, but it hasn't. Every year around spring time my eyes get terrible irritated and this year has been the same (maybe even worse than other years) even though I've been using Restasis for a year now. The only difference I notice was for the first couple weeks, but now I'm ready to move on."

• Birdw...
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• March 28, 2019

For Dry Eye Disease "I've been using Restasis for about a year. My doctor said there is some improvement with my vision, but I still have side effects. I have arthritic hands and squeezing either the single dose or multidose versions is extremely difficult, but the multidose is slightly easier. I even called the company about it. My way around getting the multidose bottle to work better involves taking a sterile syringe needle (ask your doctor) and enlarging the dropper hole. Each bottle barely lasts a month. Now I learned that the multidose bottle is not available, just the singles. No drug store or prescription service has it currently. My doctor also said that a generic version is about to be released in much larger bottles. As for the side effects, my eyes continue to burn and my sinus problems have escalated to a point that I may stop using the medication and go back to using liquid tears 24/7."

• Empea...
• October 5, 2016

For Dry Eye Disease "I was prescribed Restasis by my ophthalmologist due to severe dry eye caused by Accutune. I was given a card that gave me a discount since I did not have private health insurance and used each vile over 2-3 days so that it became effectively very cheap for me to use. I had side effects at first, burning eyes and blurred vision. I was told it takes a minimum of 3 months to see any benefits so I kept using it. It worked almost too well, as my eyes started producing tears so much that my eyes would water all the time. I stopped using the product after 1 year, and my eyes have improved so much I no longer need to use it, although I still use regular over the counter eye drops (Systane Balance) once or twice a day as needed"

• Godlo...
• January 28, 2015

For Dry Eye Disease "Restasis has been nothing short of a miracle for me! My eyes hurt, were extremely dry, had bumps under my eyelids and terrible allergies and inflammation. In the morning my eyelid would stick closed and I would have to open it slowly and add gel drops. I was on 4 things a day for my eyes and they were not getting much better. I run a humidifier because the dryness from running the heat in the winter seemed to make my eyes worse. I could not wear my contact lenses as it was torture. After being on Restasis for 3 weeks, I am 80% better. I use Systane Ultra gel drops when I go to bed at night and my eyes are so much better in the mornings when I wake up. I am now wearing my contact lenses again, but, not as long during the day as I used too. Grateful!"

• Jess
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• March 10, 2017

For Dry Eye Disease "I had dry eyes since I began wearing contacts when I was 12 years old. Now at age 35 I found the solution.... and it was not Restasis. I was prescribed Restasis for my chronic dry eye in 2014 and I used it for about 1 1/2 years. It burned my eyes every single time is used it and I eventually quit because it was so painful. About one year ago in 2016 I started exercising and drinking about 1 gallon of water per day. An unintentional result from my increased water intake was NO MORE dry eyes! I no longer have to use any eye drops, something I never left home without before. I'm not saying this will work for everyone but I have tried multiple eye drops for years and got no results, I even tried supplements like fish oil with no improvement."

• RXgui...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• June 20, 2019

For Dry Eye Disease "I was prescribed Restasis for dry eyes. Immediately when I put it in my eye I felt instantaneous joint pain of the most severe. I tried like two other times to confirm and it happened the same way each time so I never used again."

• Squir...
• February 14, 2016

For Dry Eye Disease "The first time I was prescribed Restasis - I was also prescribed a cortisone drop and I didn't have any issues with burning and got complete relief within a few short months. I stopped taking it after 6 months and the eyes became dry again about 9 months later. I am back on it again but this time without the cortisone drops. I am finding the burning pretty much continuous. However I am again producing tears easily. I will ask my doctor to again prescribe cortisone drops in addition to the Restasis. My doctor ok'd me using each vile for 2-3 days.Fortunately I have insurance that covers most of the cost. I would highly recommend this drug to anyone suffering from chronic dry eyes. None of the over the counter medications helped."

• Grave...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• March 7, 2020

For Dry Eye Disease "My eyes were so dry I had to pry them open every hour and douse with eye drops trying to sleep. With restasis, I can usually sleep all night now, or only find my eyes are stuck upon awakening in the morning. I also have Graves’ disease, so these dry eyes may be related to that, but for now I find great relief with these drops. I have no side effects, just very slight burning it’s not bothersome at all. I was scared to try them at first, so I only did one eye. Guess which one got better...the one I used restasis on. I’m so glad my insurance is willing to cover them and the copay is $40"