Cyclosporine ophthalmic User Reviews & Ratings (Page 5)

• Ser...
• October 19, 2020

For Dry Eye Disease "The new multi-dose bottles are horrid! My dry eyes due to Sjögren's was under control finally after using the vials for a few years! I am now back to the painful dry eyes, which have also exacerbated my macular degeneration! I am angry about this change that is advancing the loss of my eyesight! To my knowledge, there is no way to have the doctor increase the prescription. If anyone else has any experience like this, please let me know."

• Sue...
• August 25, 2018

For Dry Eye Disease "I’ve been using multi-dose for three months. The waste is horrible from this bottle (probably making more money for them). The cost is laughable! And why are they getting away with it! The USA needs to investigate this outrageous price! And then I have to use wetting drops as well. When I’m done with these last three months, I’m done, period. I can afford this, by the way, but I’m tired of people being used!"

• Cle...
• September 30, 2018

For Dry Eye Disease "In case anyone is wondering, the retail price of a three-month prescription of the multi-use bottles is $1,800.99. With insurance and the Allergan coupon, I wound up paying $152.01 out of pocket. Does the medicine work? I'm not sure because I haven't been using it long enough. I can tell you (as others have) that the bottle is a joke. I think it was purposefully designed to waste the product. It is impossible to get one drop out at a time, which means you have dollars' worth of product running down your cheek. I'm sure folks at Allergan are laughing all the way to the bank. Search YouTube for Restasis and watch the old videos that tout how their product comes in one-use vials because the product should be fresh every time you use it. Now they changed their story to say the single-use vials are wasting plastic. I'm going to ask my doctor to prescribe the single-use vials (if they still make them)."

• ada...
• January 15, 2017

For Dry Eye Disease "I had spent much of my time outdoors in the windy and dry plains of Co. My eyes stayed dry and painful. Eyedrops gave relief, but symptoms would return, so my doctor prescribed Restasis. It had the same results. I realized that even though I was no longer in a harsh environment, my eyes had become conditioned and addicted to Eyedrops and Restasis! I learned that it is a very common addiction, including the body's craving and withdrawals from the substance. Restasis is nothing but an unnecessary addictive drug, and the drug co. knows it. It should only be used while you have inflammation, just like any other anti-inflammatory med. Overuse of anti-inflammatories is like overuse of antibiotics. We know what happens when we do that. Effectiveness decreases."

• Bac...
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• September 26, 2018

For Dry Eye Disease "I just wanted to add my criticism of the multidose bottles! Ridiculous! My first bottle ($500+) lasted only 10 days. I thought I must be doing something wrong, so I tried again and managed to get a whopping 14 days' worth of expensive drops out of that bottle. I used the single-use vials before, and Restasis works well for me, but it's ridiculously expensive, especially when you get 10 days' worth of medicine out of the bottle."

• dja...
• Taken for 2 to 5 years
• February 16, 2019

For Dry Eye Disease "The drops work well for me, and I've been using them for a year. But this new multidose vial is horrible, and with my new insurance, it costs me $400/month out of pocket, after a 'big' savings coupon from Restasis. And the one-month vial lasted me only 16 days! I plan to call the company and tell them they owe me 1.5 months of medication since it's lasting half as long as they promise. Like everyone else has said, the vial is too hard to squeeze, and at first, too much comes out, and then you can't get a drop out. Just horrible - and at $1900 (before insurance) for what is supposed to be three months, but what is only 1.5 months, completely unacceptable. I suggest everyone here inundate the company with complaints."

• A m...
• February 17, 2019

For Dry Eye Disease "Don’t buy the multi-dose bottles. Major design flaws. You will never get a full 30 days out of it. I too called the company to complain about the design and how difficult it is to squeeze out this medication. They did nothing except take a lot number. I told them not to ever discontinue the little vials. They are easy, and you will get your money’s worth out of them. I hate their multi-dose ridiculous bottles. Dump them. This drug is way too expensive for their new bottles to give you next to nothing out of them!!"

• Kat...
• January 28, 2019

For Dry Eye Disease "Almost impossible to squeeze out the multi-dose! Same problem as everyone else. I contacted Restasis, and they said they would check into this matter and get back to me, that was 2 months ago! Get the vials, don’t use the multi-dose-waste of money! Eye doctors should be aware of this awful multi-dose!"

• JPa...
• Taken for 2 to 5 years
• December 24, 2018

For Dry Eye Disease "Restasis single-use vials help my dry eyes. I’ve been using the single-use vials for a few years now. They do tend to make my eyes burn about half the time, but they still help. My complaint and low rating is because of the multi-dose bottles they’re switching to. The bottle is terrible. It takes forever to get a drop, which is extremely hard on dry eyes. Then, you don’t get just one drop. You get 2 or 3. Since they’re apparently conserving money, even one drop extra means you’ll run out of prescription before you should. This bottle needs a makeover. It also needs extra liquid. No one can get just one drop each time and make certain that one drop hits their eye as it should!"

• Fid...
• Taken for 5 to 10 years
• October 23, 2018

For Dry Eye Disease "I agree with all of the negative comments. Did they forget to have people test it? Currently, I am using ointment every night. I put it on so thick I can only see shapes and colors. I had used Restasis for ten years and stopped due to price. Went back to it when I had some really bad vision days and found the single bottle a very bad joke."

• but...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• December 2, 2022

For Dry Eye Disease "Dr. tried me on Cequa after another drug burned severely. Seems as though these do not burn, but after about 6 hours, my eyes start to feel as if there was grit in my eyes. Stopped using, as insurance won't cover. Expense out of pocket was extreme."

• Anonymous
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• October 4, 2022

For Dry Eye Disease "I started Cequa about 9 months ago, and it seems that my dry eye is worse. I kept at it for the full 9 months, hoping things would improve. But my eyes feel very gritty at night, almost like I have sand under my eyelids, and the burning after instilling the drops is not pleasant. I stopped the Cequa for about a week, and the burning and gritty feeling went away. So I guess the Cequa drops do not work for my dry eye and made things worse. I would rather have some dry eyes but not the burning and gritty feeling - the gritty feeling would wake me up and keep me awake all night, and nothing would help."

• JJa...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• July 19, 2018

For Dry Eye Disease "I have been using the ampoules since 2012; lots of used amps to discard in the recycle bin, no problem. First multidose bottle: 1) I cannot see the drop as it is ready to drip and therefore cannot align to my eye properly. 2) It takes a lot of squeezing to get a drop to be dosed; in the process... 3)...eye becomes dry being held open so long awaiting the drop to be dispersed. I timed my process last night, 5 minutes to get 2 drops; one per eye. The night before, I had a gushing stream down the side of my nose, not from the tip as far as I could tell. Not impressed, I am requesting to go back to the vials; and another preauthorization process with my insurance."

• Lor...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• May 16, 2024

For Dry Eye Disease "It is working great for my dry eyes. No burning. My doctor told me to keep it in the refrigerator and use drops cold would keep it from burning. He was right. You do have to administer right away after removing from the refrigerator."

• Car...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• August 28, 2017

For Dry Eye Disease "Restasis single-dose was quite effective and easy to use for my dry eye condition after having an intraocular lens implant 6-1/2 years ago. I switched to Restasis multi-dose for convenience. But, because of the viscosity/thickness of the multi-dose liquid, it is nearly impossible to dispense. My hand goes into a spasm trying to squeeze just 1 droplet out. Even my big, strong husband has struggles with the bottle. Allergan put too much castor oil and glycerin in the multi-dose formula. I called Express Scripts pharmacist and was advised to throw out the bottle and try a new one, thinking it was faulty. The new one was just as bad."

• Ano...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• June 9, 2025

For Dry Eye Disease "Too early to tell how effective, but applying is problematic. I can’t tell if a drop comes out or not. I have a feeling I’m using too much and will not have enough for the month. Single-use vials, like Xidra, would be so much better."

• Mmo...
• October 4, 2018

For Dry Eye Disease "A few years ago, my doctor told me I needed Restasis. I really did not think I had dry eyes, as my eyes actually tear up... he said those are 'junk tears.' Never heard of such a thing, but went with it. I used them for about 4 months and did not notice a change. He thought I would 'see better' with them. Ha ha. What happened towards the end of using them... my vision started to get blurry. It has gotten worse, and to the point where I need to wear glasses all the time. I really think the Restasis did this. The doctor says I have the start of cataracts... really... again, I am saying it was the Restasis that did this and I am not happy. So, in my opinion, unless you really are having a dry eye issue that is causing a lot of problems, do not use this product or you may very well end up like me and have blurred vision."

• amk...
• Taken for 2 to 5 years
• September 8, 2018

For Dry Eye Disease "Not a fan of the multi-dose bottle. I've got my first prescription of this on August 29th, and I am already almost out. And like others have remarked, the bottle does not dispense drops properly. That is obvious because I should not be running out of medication this early. And since my insurance will not pay for another round until it's been a month, I will have to go without it until a month has passed. But I am not going to buy this multi-dose again, not if I can help it. I'm going to go back to the vials."

• Squ...
• Taken for 2 to 5 years
• November 15, 2023

For Dry Eye Disease "I have had dry eye disease secondary to 'probable Sjogren's' (diagnosed by a rheumatologist) for over 13 years. I was on Restasis for many of those years with no real benefit besides making my eyes constantly feel like there were tiny shards of glass in them. I didn't realize that was caused by the Restasis until I switched to Cequa, and that symptom almost immediately disappeared (or maybe it's just that Cequa worked for that symptom whereas Restasis didn't). It was hard to tell if Restasis helped my eyes, but I just continued with it fearing my eyes would worsen without it. I still experience sensitivity to light and secondary blepharospasm, but the Cequa has been a major improvement over Restasis. I have been on it for over 2 years now, and my eye doctor says I have a normal corneal surface now with Cequa, whereas certain areas of my cornea were a bit degraded by my dry eye before."

• Vic...
• Taken for 5 to 10 years
• August 3, 2018

For Dry Eye Disease "After years of using the vials, I was happy to try the multi-dose application. Sad to say that the drops are very difficult to get out of the bottle. I need 3 bottles for one month, which is $100 for me, as opposed to the vials, which I pay $100 for a 3-month supply. I am going back to the vials."

• ten...
• July 24, 2018

For Dry Eye Disease "I also hate the new multidose bottle for the same reasons. Hard to apply, nothing comes out, then too much, doesn't last a month, etc. The single-use vials are much preferable. Over the years, my eye doctors have confirmed that it is OK to use the single-use vials more than once, until the liquid is consumed, as long as you keep the partly used vial in the refrigerator. For this reason, a one-month supply lasts at 2 to 3 months, and I can justify using a bit more plastic. Compared to all the other ways our society wastes plastic, this is minor in comparison."

• Jil...
• Taken for 2 to 5 years
• March 6, 2018

For Dry Eye Disease "Restasis is a great product that I have been successfully using for years. However, this month I was given the multidose bottle, which is so bad that it is enough to make me discontinue Restasis. I have worked in ophthalmology for over 15 years, so I am very proficient at instilling eyedrops. This bottle is as hard as a rock, and after squeezing with all your might to get it to work, a stream of drops comes out and 1/4 of the bottle is gone. Absolutely terrible design."

• sse...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• February 23, 2023

For Dry Eye Disease "Used this medication for around one month for dry eyes due to a chemical burn in my left eye. This medication, by far, has to be the worst dry eye drop on the market. It made my left eye so itchy, and the foreign body sensation drove me up a wall, having the urge to constantly rub my eye and the burning sensation as well. Stopped the medication, and my eye is better."

• Lea...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• December 8, 2018

For Dry Eye Disease "There’s a learning curve to using the bottle. It was infuriating for the first couple of weeks having $5 bills running down my cheek and only getting 26 days out of the bottle. But if you take your time, it does work well, and a month is not a problem. This is only month two, and the relief I’m getting is absolutely, amazingly WONDERFUL!"

• Anonymous
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• May 12, 2015

"I have been on Restasis for about a year and do not see much improvement. In fact, every time I use it, my eyes burn for about an hour and it blurs my vision. I am still using other moisture drops in my eyes several times a day and the PM eye ointment at night. I will stop using it as I don't see a difference. If there are people out there that cannot afford this medication, ask your doctor for a card that will give you a discount or maybe you can get it for free as I did."