Do your eyes feel as if they are burning? If they itch, feel tired or heavy, seem red and water a lot – you likely suffer from a disease of the surface of the eyes. Dry eye disease is extremely common, more common as we age and more frequent in women.
Dr. Amit Mathur and Dr. Jason Lau at Omni Eye & Vision state “In the past, we have written about the common causes of dry eyes – some medications like blood pressure medications or oral contraceptives, diseases like rheumatoid arthritis, environmental situations like arid weather or staring at a computer screen. In this article we would like to highlight a new prescription eye drop that has been proven to treat dry eye disease, not just help the symptoms as most other drops do – palliative treatment.”
Depending on the severity of the disease, more than one type of treatment may be required. Usually, the first line of treatment are artificial tear drops. These try to replenish the quality and quantity of tears in the eyes and give a soothing relieving feeling. There are various types of artificial tears, and they do differ in active ingredients and some are better suited than others for the type of dry eye.
“Dry eye disease is now accepted not only as a nuisance, but it is a disease where there is an inflammation of the eyes glands or ocular surface,” notes Dr. Amit Mathur. This advancement in understanding of the disease has led to treatments utilizing steroid eye
drops and a drop that has a trade name Restasis.
Dr. Jason Lau adds, “For many dry eye patients, the use and overuse of over-the-counter artificial tears seems to be an uphill battle, offering very temporary relief of their symptoms. Restasis can be the difference between a manageable day with dry eyes, compared to one that is unbearable”.
Restasis belongs to a class of medicines known as immunosuppressants. Restasis helps treat the underlying cause of dry eyes rather than just being a bandage solution that masks the issue. It actually increases the eye’s own tear production- not merely adding moisture to the eye. “This new mechanism of treatment has been a very important tool in the treatment of dry eye disease in all of our clinics,” Dr. Mathur adds.
The effects of Restasis therapy can be felt within a month of therapy, but it takes 3 months or so to see an increase in tear production. Many patients continue using artificial tears after starting Restasis but the use may decrease as they start producing more tears of their own.
As with any other medical treatment, individual results may vary. Restasis is available with a doctor’s prescription, so a good eye evaluation by your eye doctor is very important.
By Dr. Amit Mathur and Dr. Jason Lau, Omni Eye & Vision