Restasis and Stinging: What Users Say

• pem...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• September 8, 2016

For Dry Eye Disease "My eye doctor tried me on Restasis for dry eyes, the first time being about a year ago. I didn't experience stinging as some have and thought it was going to do the job. However, about a week into the treatment, my eyes felt swollen. I lifted my upper lids to see if anything looked wrong, and my eyeball looked like it had hemorrhaged. I took a picture so I could show my doctor and stopped the treatment. About 6 months later, we decided to try it again, thinking maybe another medication I was using could have caused the Restasis to react that way. But once again, it did the same thing."

• LSa...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• April 24, 2021

For Dry Eye Disease "I've been using Restasis for about a week, and it has made a tremendous difference. Eyes are not nearly as dry and itchy as before. It stings a bit just after you put in the drops, but goes away quickly. Very happy!"

• Ter...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• September 26, 2018

For Dry Eye Disease "I'm not sure if Restasis works well. Can't get enough from the bottle to the eye to find out. The eyes sting badly, so I have to use some Systane after 30 minutes. Perhaps the Allergan (Restasis) folks could call the Alcon (Systane) folks to find out how to make a bottle for eye drops. Will be using only Systane when the Restasis runs out."

• cha...
• November 28, 2022

For Dry Eye Disease "I've been on Restasis for 7 weeks now. No side effects other than a little stinging. My eyes felt a little better after just a few days. After the 1st week, I didn't need any OTC drops. Every day, they felt a tiny bit better than the day before. Now I'd say they are maybe 80% there. I still have problems with eye moisturizer and eye makeup... my eyes sting for a while if I use those, but much less than in the beginning. My eyes never feel dry now, just sometimes a little goopy/stringy. I'm so happy that Restasis works for me... I had put off trying it for years. I also use one vial for AM and PM, and don't refrigerate. Hopefully, after 4-6 months, they will be even better."

• Jod...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• June 16, 2023

For Dry Eye Disease "I’ve only been using it for a month, so haven’t really had any significant improvement. It’s sometimes hard to remember to use the drops twice a day in addition to my glaucoma drops and artificial tears. Also, the drops usually sting my eyes for quite a while after using. In addition, my insurance doesn’t cover it, so it’s very expensive!"