Restasis and Pain: What Users Say

• Ell...
• 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 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."

• She...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• July 7, 2019

For Dry Eye Disease "I was prescribed Restasis for dry eye and cataract surgery. Over time (3+ months), 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 were 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.)"

• Bon...
• January 13, 2015

For Dry Eye Disease "Eyes are much less irritated. Still have occasional pain from dry eyes, especially at night, but am only using other eye drops every half hour in the evenings instead of every few minutes all day long. I keep vials in the refrigerator and am able to use 1 vial for 2-3 days, so cost is not prohibitive."

• Bar...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• December 20, 2019

For Dry Eye Disease "My eyes are so sensitive using Restasis for dry eye that I have to cover my eyes with my hands and use sunglasses at all times, or I can’t go outside. The pain is nearly extreme every time I use it, so I’m going to stop. I don’t care how expensive it was! I have the bottle, and they said it was expensive. I just can’t use it anymore without so much pain and sensitivity to light. It was prescribed after surgery with my Salzman's disease, which is nodules on the cornea from nerve damage. I can see fine without the Restasis but not well with it... so I will use an eyedrop that is meant for dry eye instead: vials of Refresh because those work very well, and they’re not loaded with preservatives. Enough for a month is $15, and you can use a vial three or four times each."

• Wol...
• Taken for 5 to 10 years
• July 16, 2019

For Dry Eye Disease "I used Restasis with great results for over 8 years. Last week, it stopped working, and my eyes started hurting worse than ever. Not sure if perhaps the pharmacy or the manufacturer sold contaminated or defective drops. Anyway, I went to see my doctor, and he suggested I stop Restasis and prescribed something new. Will let you know if they work after a day or two."

• Chr...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• January 27, 2019

For Dry Eye Disease "After two months of use, my doctor said there was clinical improvement. However, I noticed very little improvement. After four months, my eyes looked and felt worse. My doctor confirmed they looked worse. She contributed to me giving up on Restasis and told me to restart. (I gave it up for all of four days after experiencing more pain). I learned about Xiidra and received a prescription from another office. The pain improved in a week."