Cyclosporine ophthalmic for Dry Eye Disease User Reviews (Page 2)

• God...
• January 28, 2015

"Restasis has been nothing short of a miracle for me! My eyes hurt, were extremely dry, had bumps under my eyelids and terrible allergies and inflammation. In the morning my eyelid would stick closed and I would have to open it slowly and add gel drops. I was on 4 things a day for my eyes and they were not getting much better. I run a humidifier because the dryness from running the heat in the winter seemed to make my eyes worse. I could not wear my contact lenses as it was torture. After being on Restasis for 3 weeks, I am 80% better. I use Systane Ultra gel drops when I go to bed at night and my eyes are so much better in the mornings when I wake up. I am now wearing my contact lenses again, but, not as long during the day as I used to. Grateful!"

• Squ...
• February 14, 2016

"The first time I was prescribed Restasis, I was also prescribed a cortisone drop, and I didn't have any issues with burning and got complete relief within a few short months. I stopped taking it after 6 months, and the eyes became dry again about 9 months later. I am back on it again, but this time without the cortisone drops. I am finding the burning pretty much continuous. However, I am again producing tears easily. I will ask my doctor to again prescribe cortisone drops in addition to the Restasis. My doctor ok'd me using each vial for 2-3 days. Fortunately, I have insurance that covers most of the cost. I would highly recommend this drug to anyone suffering from chronic dry eyes. None of the over-the-counter medications helped."

• Jes...
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• March 10, 2017

"I had dry eyes since I began wearing contacts when I was 12 years old. Now at age 35, I found the solution... and it was not Restasis. I was prescribed Restasis for my chronic dry eye in 2014, and I used it for about 1 1/2 years. It burned my eyes every single time I used it, and I eventually quit because it was so painful. About one year ago, in 2016, I started exercising and drinking about 1 gallon of water per day. An unintentional result from my increased water intake was NO MORE dry eyes! I no longer have to use any eye drops, something I never left home without before. I'm not saying this will work for everyone, but I have tried multiple eye drops for years and got no results, I even tried supplements like fish oil with no improvement."

• MPa...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• January 4, 2020

"I used Xiidra for 3 years and had excellent results until I became allergic to it. Cequa has just come out, and I have been on it for one month. I do not have any pain with use, vials are easy to use. The medication is not costing me a lot of money, just $30 a month. The bad news is that it does not work as well as Xiidra. My eye doc likes what she is seeing, as she thinks it will be a good drug for me, but I still have dry eye symptoms. I am hoping these will ease up the longer I use the drug."

• Tee...
• March 4, 2020

"I was given Cequa to use after I stopped using Restasis because it burned/stung every time I used it. I don't really see any difference. The Cequa stings and causes my eyes to water all night long, making my nose run as well. Lately, my vision seems to have gotten really blurry, and I am wondering if this is some reaction to the Cequa. My eye doctor told me to stop using it for now."

• Jen...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• February 25, 2015

"I was hesitant to start using Restasis after reading the reviews. However, I was very desperate, suffering from severe dry eye, corneal scarring/dry spots, and ocular rosacea. My eyes were just giving me too much trouble, and I was using high-end lubricant eye drops, compresses daily, fish oil pills, and consuming a lot of water. I was doing all I could to avoid Restasis. At the end of my rope, my doctor prescribed Restasis along with a steroid drop. I have been using both for a month now and can already tell a very big difference. My eyes feel normal again and much less sensitive, with no burning, scratching, or tearing. It is wonderful. I hope that the benefits continue as long as I use the drops. I am a very happy Restasis customer!"

• Whi...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• September 18, 2022

"I tried Cequa for three weeks, and it did not work for me. At first, it started with just the stinging and itching I was warned about, which would gradually subside. But then it actually made the dry eye worse, even if I used a moisturizing drop 30 minutes before I used the Cequa. One night, right before bed, I put in the eye drops and immediately had to rush to the sink to rinse my eyes out with water. I started crying and almost had to go to the emergency room, thinking I had permanently damaged my eyes, it hurt so bad. I had to rinse my eyes out with saline several times before the pain and severe itching subsided. It was a full day before I could use any other type of eye drops to help with my dry eyes, which was a nightmare. Thankfully, by the second day, I was fine again, although my eyes were still a little bit irritated and uncomfortable. I’m never using this again."

• Mol...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• March 17, 2021

"I was given this for dry eye from LASIK surgery. I had a bad reaction to using Cequa that got worse the more I used it. Headaches, foggy head, my ears felt water-clogged, itchy eyes, sandy feeling in eyes, difficulty breathing through my nose and some puffiness, and increased fatigue. I tried taking it once a day instead of twice a day, and the side effects decreased but still remained and got worse whenever I tried to take it twice a day as directed. I would wake up in the night uncomfortable and unable to fall back asleep. Getting reimbursed by the company was also frustrating. I had to call repeatedly before finally getting through to someone who could guide me through getting reimbursed for the three-month supply I was not able to use."

• RXg...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• June 20, 2019

"I was prescribed Restasis for dry eyes. Immediately when I put it in my eye, I felt instantaneous joint pain of the most severe. I tried like two other times to confirm, and it happened the same way each time, so I never used it again."

• bwi...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• July 22, 2021

"I had used Restasis for about 10 years, but over time it gradually stopped working. I tried Xiidra, but the first time I used it my eyes swelled up! I was using Lacrisert, but was not having much luck with that either. Then, in the course of my research, I came across Cequa. At this point, I was willing to try anything, my dry eye is so severe. I have been using it for a week, and at day 5, the pain and redness just stopped! So far, this drug is like a miracle for me! I pray it continues to work. Thankfully, my insurance company agreed to cover it with a $60 co-pay. Of course, as everyone knows, you get more than one day out of a vial. As if we would just throw it away! Really? LOL."

• Gra...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• March 7, 2020

"My eyes were so dry I had to pry them open every hour and douse them with eye drops trying to sleep. With Restasis, I can usually sleep all night now, or only find my eyes are stuck upon awakening in the morning. I also have Graves’ disease, so these dry eyes may be related to that, but for now I find great relief with these drops. I have no side effects, just very slight burning, it’s not bothersome at all. I was scared to try them at first, so I only did one eye. Guess which one got better...the one I used Restasis on. I’m so glad my insurance is willing to cover them and the copay is $40."

• Jea...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• August 3, 2021

"I used Restasis for a year, and it worked great. It did burn my eyes after putting drops in, but it was only about 2/3 min of burning pain that made my eyes bloodshot and tear. After a year, I didn’t need the drops anymore, but then I got the COVID vaccine, and it flared my dry eyes up immediately. Probably within the week of getting the shot, my dry eye was worse than ever. My dr told me to try Cequa. I have been using Cequa for a month, and the burning after putting the drop in my eyes at night is much more intense than Restasis ever was. I am going back to my dr to see if I should stop, but I’m willing to continue for a month or so to see if the burning gets any better. Maybe Restasis was better for me, but I guess everyone needs to just try and see what works best for them. Hope this review helps."

• mam...
• December 6, 2015

"I suffered with severe dry eyes for years. I was developing corneal ulcers and tons of dry spots. It was hard to wear contact lenses. My optometrist had me see an ophthalmologist, and she put me on Restasis. Three months later, I had my check-up, and the corneal ulcer is healed (left a small scar), and all the dry spots are gone. She has cleared me to try to wear contact lenses again. I actually feel tears when I blink. So far, this medication has been a godsend for me. I tested negative for Sjögren's."

• Anonymous
• Taken for less than 1 month
• March 15, 2019

"I started Restasis multi-dose twice daily two weeks ago, will not continue use due to difficulty getting the correct dose in the eye due to problems with the design of the bottle, even cut the bottle and poured into another bottle, but realized it will not be sterile. Do the Restasis eye drops work? Well, you would have to get them out of the bottle first! The only way I will continue is if insurance will cover the individual doses. The company should take notice and improve the multi-dose dispenser. Could be a great product, but looks like several customers are unhappy with the packaging."

• chi...
• Taken for 2 to 5 years
• July 11, 2019

"I use Restasis in the vial form. Twist off the cap and squeeze out. I put the rest of the vial in the fridge to use at night. I've been on Restasis for years with no side effects or problems. I've been to the ophthalmologist for checkups, and he has never said there have been any issues. After many, many years, I do wonder how much good it is doing, but will continue."

• Ano...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• January 12, 2023

"I have chronic dry eye and have been using Restasis for many years, which has helped somewhat. My eye doctor recently gave me a sample of Cequa eye drops. After trying them for a few days, I didn't experience any side effects. However, once I opened the vial, the lid did not close like the one for Restasis, and I was unable to reuse the remaining drops. This means that I would have to use two vials per day, which seems wasteful. The cost of Cequa is very high, and as a senior, I have no coverage, and unfortunately, I cannot afford them. I hope that the company takes note of my feedback and makes the necessary changes."

• RHG...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• August 24, 2020

"Used Restasis, but MD didn't see remarkable difference, so recommended Cequa. Could not tolerate drug at all. Immediate pain upon putting eye drops in, extreme redness and burning. Received coupon for one month supply, so there were no out-of-pocket expenses. Never went through the insurance process to see if drug would have been covered."

• Bon...
• January 13, 2015

"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."

• Anonymous
• Taken for less than 1 month
• March 31, 2021

"Was given Cequa for my dry eyes. Have been getting plugs, but haven't worked as well as I had hoped. Dr. gave me samples of Cequa to try. I have used it for about 3 weeks. I knew that they might burn at first. I really wanted them to work. So I was very diligent about 2x a day every 12 hrs. My eyes burn so bad still. I either have pain from the burning or my dry eyes. The burning seems to lessen about an hour or so before it's time for the next drops. I tried Restasis, but it didn't work for me either. I guess I will need to just stick with my Refresh Tears. They don't work very long, but they don't burn. 1 kind of pain is better than 2."

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

"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."

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

"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."

• Dar...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• March 25, 2022

"I have dry eyes after Lasik surgery. This makes my eyes twitch. My ophthalmologist was so excited to prescribe Cequa to me because my insurance covered it... WHY?... $2,000.00!!!! For a prescription... of eyedrops... For $2,000, these drops better have stem cells and give me perfect vision! But, alas, that was not the case. POSITIVES: 1. No propylene glycol or polyethylene glycol 2. Smoother than regular eye drops 3. Only takes a drop or two in each eye per dose NEGATIVES: 1. Individual uses a. I either poke myself in the eye or miss my eye completely b. More than 4 drops are in each vial and are one-time uses, therefore, a lot of waste 2. They burn in the early uses until your eyes either get used to them or are less dry 3. It makes the eyelid twitch! Nowhere does it say this is a warning or side effect. It started out barely noticeable, but by week 3, my left eye was constantly twitching all day long. Stopped using drops and the twitch is gone."

• Suz...
• December 18, 2020

"I used Xiidra for 8 months with no noticeable results other than it drained my bank account. Cequa was just recommended, but after reading nothing but negative results, I’m not going to spend $600 a month for 2 drops a day for 6 months to see if it helps. Thanks for the comments!"

• kat...
• October 17, 2015

"I have an extreme dry left eye that drives me crazy for about 2 years. Can't wait to get home to wash my eye at night. The right eye is dry per my Dr. exam, but not nearly as bad. First few days in bad eye felt better off the bat. I am a skeptic, so it really did feel better. 1 month later, my really dry left eye feels wonderful. I was going to use it only in left bad eye due to the cost, but once I opened the vial, saw how much was in there, I decided to use it against Dr.'s orders, though I wash my hands and do not touch the dropper at all. Works great for me."

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

"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."