Lifitegrast ophthalmic and Blurred Vision: What Users Say

• Sil...
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• January 28, 2020

For Dry Eye Disease "I have been using this medication for 2 years, with NO significant improvement whatsoever. It causes 'blurry' vision and 3 hours later the dryness returns. Get with it NOVARTIS you made enough money, now give us the 'REAL' medication. God forbid we would be cured, all we want is 10-12 hours of eye comfort. FDA are you listening?"

• San...
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• February 27, 2020

For Dry Eye Disease "I had horrible burning and blurriness. Then I saw the prescription receipt which included, after the drop was in the eye: 'Look downward, gently close your eyes, and PLACE ONE FINGER AT THE CORNER OF YOUR EYE (NEAR THE NOSE). APPLY GENTLE PRESSURE FOR 1 TO 2 MINUTES BEFORE OPENING YOUR EYES. THIS WILL PREVENT THE MEDICATION FROM DRAINING OUT...' I think it also prevented the drop from getting into the sensitive inner corner of my eye and stopped my eye from burning. The blurriness resolved quickly also. So glad I can use Xiidra again. I think it's really helping me."

• Tee...
• August 9, 2019

For Dry Eye Disease "I immediately had problems with Xiidra, as my eyes would burn for a half hour after each drop. But two weeks after starting it, I woke up with blurred vision that would not go away. I couldn't drive or read. I am nearsighted, and the blurriness was terrible with and without my glasses. I could barely function in my own house. The scary part is that now it is the second day since I took them last, and I still have blurred vision. It is better than yesterday, but definitely not normal. This medication is dangerous and needs to be removed from the market."

• Pet...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• January 19, 2020

For Dry Eye Disease "I paid $290, with a discount off the original price of $540, for one month of drops. Too expensive. Bad taste in my mouth about 20-30 minutes after using the drops. My eyesight gets blurry and I experience stinging pain. Both blurry vision and pain leave after 45-60 minutes, but the aftertaste continues and has also caused diarrhea. After reading all the side effects of dry eye medications, I will go back to my over-the-counter drops without preservatives. They are safer and considerably cheaper."

• Dry...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• January 1, 2021

For Dry Eye Disease "Horrible side effects! I used Xiidra for 1 1/2 weeks. About 3 to 5 days later, I started getting this horrible pain in my eye socket, especially around the inner part of my eyes. The pain is so intense that I have had to take ibuprofen to help with the pain. I have had headaches and what seems to be sinusitis. I dealt with the horrible bitter taste, hoping I would get relief from the dryness, but now pain that will not subside. Making an appointment to see my doctor. Called the company after I paid almost $55.00, and they will not reimburse even after advising I would send product and receipt back. CVS will also not take it back. BEWARE! If you want to try, ask your ophthalmologist for a sample. Pain, constant tearing of eyes, headache, blurry vision... Reported to FDA. Ended up going to the ER. My eyes were swollen shut. The pain was so intense around my eyes that my prescribed Percocet did nothing to relieve the pain. Will live with dry eye any day over this experience."

• Ros...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• February 26, 2021

For Dry Eye Disease "WARNING! Be very careful. First time use one tiny drop in one eye to see how it affects you. I had used it for 20 days, and it helped my dry eye, but after a week, I developed terrible side effects: sinus and ear infection, severe dizziness. I didn't make the connection until too late and ended up in the hospital after a severe dizzy spell. All tests were negative. Two months later, my dry eye came back, so I thought I could use it for just a couple of days. I tried one drop. I was up all night with burning, blurry eyes, using eye wash and artificial tears. Nothing helped. This morning, my eyes are so red and irritated. Praying they recover soon. Will never use again."

• Bew...
• April 1, 2017

"I had no initial problems with Xiidra. No burning or bad taste. It seemed to be working well. I had temporary blurred vision for a while after using the drops. Then, after using Xiidra for two weeks, one morning the blurred vision didn't clear. I could not see to read. It was terrifying. Two optometrists, an MD, and an ophthalmologist could not find a cause. I immediately stopped using Xiidra. My vision has slowly returned and is now normal. Please report side effects to the FDA. I believe Xiidra has the potential for much more serious side effects than have been reported."

• Eye...
• January 30, 2021

For Dry Eye Disease "These eye drops are extremely dangerous. Caused me to have a horrible sore throat, swollen lymph nodes on the sides of my neck, pain in my ears, and blurred vision. This will be one of those medications that they recall because of the damaging side effects. Not on the market long enough. This should have never been approved by the FDA. In spite of the money I paid for this overpriced drug, I threw it all away. Bad stuff."

• Jae...
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• July 17, 2019

For Dry Eye Disease "I have used Xiidra for almost 2 years. It helped with the dry eye for a few months, but in the 2 years of using it, my vision became worse and blurry. I was prescribed a stronger prescription for my contacts. My eyes also became puffy. I didn't know what was causing the bags under my eyes and puffiness at the top. I even got fillers put in, the bags were so bad. I stopped Xiidra about a week ago because I needed a new script and noticed that the bags around my eyes are decreasing. $500 for fillers and decreased self-esteem due to looking older, only to realize it was the damn eye drops! Hopefully, my vision improves as well, but after reading the reviews, my expectations aren't very high. If you experience eye bags and decreased vision after using these drops, it more than likely is caused by Xiidra!"

• VOJ...
• September 15, 2019

For Dry Eye Disease "Suffer from dry eye disease (DED), ocular rosacea, and meibomian gland dysfunction with continuous cycles of inflammation and photophobia. Try to keep up lid scrubs, hot compress Bruder Mask, steroid drops, and artificial tears. Had LipiFlow treatment and felt immediate relief, albeit short-lived. Tried lower lid punctal plugs with minimal effectiveness, then upper plugs, and they really helped. Started Xiidra 4 months ago and no longer experiencing dry eye or photophobia. Eyes comfortable, moist, and watery. Had the burning, blurred vision, and bad taste symptoms as others described, but short-lived. Noticed huge improvement initially. Then, a few weeks ago inflammation came back accompanied by thick discharge. Thought I had an eye infection but wasn't the case. Used steroid drops and inflammation subsided, but eye mucus discharge still going strong. Didn't know eyes could produce copious amounts of sticky, thick (snot-like) mucus! I go back to the specialist next week, and if she doesn't have an answer for me, I'm stopping Xiidra. Next?"

• SLC...
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• June 27, 2019

For Dry Eye Disease "At first, it cleared up my eye floaters. Expensive, but really worked. Second month, the burning was incredible, but minor floaters. Vision was blurry for about 20 minutes. As the months went on, the burning continued, vision was blurry longer, and seemed to have a lot more liquid? My Dr. basically shrugged it off. Then the sinus infections started. Worst I've ever had in my life. Now I am having bronchial/respiratory distress. Comes in waves, not able to always draw a breath when coughing. I can cough something up, it's that same bitter, nasty taste we have all learned to live with on this vile medication. Calling the Dr. tomorrow as this is day 3 of these symptoms, and I'm convinced it's the Xiidra. I'd rather have dry eye."

• Joy...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• November 10, 2020

For Dry Eye Disease "Application of product difficult, i.e., leaning head down and pinching the top of the nose between the eyes for a long period of time. Burning and pain continued for at least 20 minutes, and blurriness remained for hours after application, and a bad taste in the back of the mouth and throat for a long period of time. I continued using as prescribed, thinking side effects would disappear, but nothing changed or improved after 20 days of use. I discontinued use and contacted my eye doctor."

• Nub...
• October 26, 2016

"Have been on Xiidra for 5 weeks, and it has not worked for me. The first 4 days were tough, with moderate burning (not as bad as Restasis), and my eyes were blurry for approximately 20 min. These side effects decreased with time, but there was no improvement in my eyes. I feel like this is very similar to my experience with Restasis.... I wasted a lot of time and money on something that was totally ineffective."

• lio...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• June 30, 2021

For Dry Eye Disease "This product is absolutely awful! It needs to be recalled. Complete waste of $70 for copay, but insurance insisted I try this first. After reading the reviews of how dangerous it is, I’m glad I only tried it for a few days randomly because I didn’t have the time to dedicate to two hours of blurred vision every time I applied the drops; forget driving to work, so I didn’t even use it in the morning. Also, it burned my eyes, feeling like I had applied lemon juice. $70 down the toilet. Rating = 0."

• Del...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• July 30, 2019

For Dry Eye Disease "Retail cost with “discount” is $5,000+ per year. Using samples now. Burns for 15 minutes, followed by blurry vision for another 15 minutes, twice daily. I’m on Medicare A & B only. No special discount offered. Restasis runs about the same. This is a classic American pharma drug ploy. Niche drug, high incidence of side effects, plenty of come-on then bait and switch, along with marginal effectiveness."

• Dry...
• Taken for 2 to 5 years
• July 1, 2024

For Dry Eye Disease "I used this for 4 years and have sought out the second and third opinions of 2 other ophthalmologists. Both of them confirmed this was doing nothing. The second one said I needed to use something with more science backing it and the third was shocked when I said I had been using this for years. She said my eyes looked like I have never used any dry eye medications. She also said that this drug appeared to be doing nothing as I still had a lot of inflammation and minimal tears. She gave me Tyrvaya, and I finally quit Xiidra. During the time I used Xiidra, I experienced frequent severe sinus pain and headaches, which led to TMJ flares and other issues. It burned and caused blurry vision and eye watering every single time I used it. I also experienced tear duct infections 3 times. All of these side effects were dismissed by the original specialist I saw despite it affecting my job and causing other medical problems. I was told by him it couldn't be from Xiidra. Time to find a new doc."

• Lal...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• March 20, 2018

For Dry Eye Disease "After a routine eye exam in Oct 2016, I was told I had 20/20 perfect long-distance vision and only needed glasses to read small print. My doctor prescribed Xiidra for my dry eye. After taking it for only 4 days, I had permanent blurriness. I immediately went back to my doctor, who tested me and confirmed my long-distance vision had been compromised in those 4 days. After endless tests revealing damage to my cones and macula, and a year and a half later, my vision has not improved, and I need glasses at all times. Long-term consequences are unknown. I am seeing a lawyer about this."

• Bir...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• January 28, 2019

For Dry Eye Disease "Fabulous. Worked within days. Burning is negligible. A little blurriness after putting in drops. I read on the label - if you press the sides of your nose after putting in drops, the stuff will NOT drip back into your throat and you will NOT have a bad taste. The only drag is the price."

• blo...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• March 28, 2018

For Dry Eye Disease "I have been on Xiidra for two months. I have chronic dry eye due to hypothyroidism. I use Xiidra twice daily (morning and night). The initial sensation of the stinging is strong and painful and is accompanied by itching. Then I have a lovely white discharge from each eye. After the morning dose, my vision is severely compromised due to blurriness that extends an hour or longer after administering the morning drop, as well as continued dry eye symptoms throughout the day. After having used Xiidra for a few weeks, I noticed horrible puffy eyes. I have not used the Xiidra in a few days, and already the puffiness has greatly subsided. I will opt for over-the-counter drops as opposed to Xiidra, which didn't do anything but cause my eyes to swell. Hope this helps others experiencing similar symptoms/side effects."

• Bli...
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• March 22, 2025

For Dry Eye Disease "I have been using Xiidra for about a year. I have had varying side effects, including burning upon instilling drops, terrible taste, blurred vision, extremely red eyes, itching, and a white exudate in the corners of both eyes resembling cooked egg white. I also get this white congealed material that collects in my sinuses and then will run down into the back of my throat. I can spit out this stuff, which is usually a solid white lump mixed with mucus from my sinuses. I have continued to use it because it will occasionally give me some relief from the dry eye symptoms. I am considering asking my ophthalmologist if I can switch to another drug to try instead of this medication. I have insurance, which makes it affordable, but the drug receipt indicates that a one-month supply is over $700. I don't know who could afford that without help. It is also wasteful because you waste a lot of the drug in the single-use container. I have to also use an additional eye whitener drop for the redness."

• Ric...
• Taken for 2 to 5 years
• March 21, 2025

For Dry Eye Disease "I have been using Xiidra long-term... a couple of years. I find that my eyes are red and often irritated. I often have blurry vision and have decided to stop using it. My specialist wants me to continue, but after 2 years, I feel it is not worth it. I also find opening the packets requires scissors, which is ridiculous."

• Kat...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• December 14, 2019

For Dry Eye Disease "Xiidra has been a lifesaver for me and my dry eyes. Tried everything, including the eye plugs. I was miserable. Immediate relief with these drops. Yes, my vision is blurry for a few minutes after inserting, but it clears up quickly. Also have a bit of an aftertaste in my throat, but it goes away. So worth it. I can even see more clearly."

• Mar...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• June 4, 2019

For Dry Eye Disease "Have been using Xiidra for two months. I noticed a difference after the first day. It can sting a little at first, and my vision is a little blurry for about 10 minutes after putting in the drops. I get no metallic taste or other side effects. It works extremely well for me. I’m on a plan through Xiidra where they pay all my co-pay except for $5. A three-month supply cost me $15."

• Red...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• October 3, 2018

For Dry Eye Disease "Xiidra burns my eyes so badly for about half an hour after I use it. My eyes are super blurry and red for a couple of hours after use. When I get up in the morning, I always look like I have pink eye, with the redness, watering, and crusty eyes. I also have the horrible taste in my mouth, but it goes away pretty quickly after drinking something. In the morning, it burns the worst, and my eyes stay puffy all the time. I really don't think I'm going to keep using this medication. It's not worth the side effects."

• Abb...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• October 23, 2018

For Dry Eye Disease "Xiidra burns so much but seems to work starting 7 days later. 2 months using it, I began having tear duct pain, sudden sharp eye pain. When I began my 3rd month, I was tearing profusely, nonstop, as well as irritation and eye pain. I stopped using it. It took 1.5 months to stop overt tearing. Now I have worse dryness, scratchiness, pain, blurred vision. I can't stand what has happened to my eyes due to the use of Xiidra. I don't recommend it."