Lifitegrast ophthalmic and Watery Eyes: What Users Say

• Lau...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• April 9, 2023

For Dry Eye Disease "Xiidra was NOT approved in Europe due to the risks outweighing the benefits. Please try something else to treat dry eyes and stay away from Xiidra. I wish I would’ve read these reviews before. I did not see a benefit from using Xiidra and noticed my eyes became watery and teary. I had to frequently wipe my tears, which was never a problem before. On the second week of using Xiidra, the inner corner of my eyes felt sore, and when I touched the area, I felt a bump that was tender. It seemed that my lacrimal sac was inflamed, which explained the teary eyes. I also began feeling nauseous the same day and threw up at night. I am a young, healthy adult that goes years without getting sick. The last time I threw up was when I was a kid. Threw away the rest of Xiidra the next day. What are they putting in these eye drops?"

• Lau...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• April 9, 2023

For Dry Eye Disease "Xiidra was NOT approved in Europe due to the risks outweighing the benefits. Please try something else to treat dry eyes and stay away from Xiidra. I wish I would’ve read these reviews before. I did not see a benefit from using Xiidra and noticed my eyes became watery and teary. I had to frequently wipe my tears, which was never a problem before. On the second week of using Xiidra, the inner corner of my eyes felt sore, and when I touched the area, I felt a bump that was tender. It seemed that my lacrimal sac was inflamed, which explained the teary eyes. I also began feeling nauseous the same day and threw up at night. I am a young, healthy adult that goes years without getting sick. The last time I threw up was when I was a kid. Threw away the rest of Xiidra the next day. What are they putting in these eye drops?"

• Tee...
• November 15, 2019

For Dry Eye Disease "HORRIBLE!!! I was on Xiidra a couple of years ago and left my job in Nov 2018, got all my scripts filled prior to. Xiidra used to be okay, just causing me to tear excessively. I stopped using it in about March/April 2019, then with the colder air starting in September/October, dry eyes started again, so I opened up a package that was not expired. My eyes felt as if they had glass in them, they turned extremely red, and my lids swelled right before me! I thought it was maybe because they were approaching expiration, so I have new insurance now and got three new boxes today... SAME horrible reactions! Also, allergies started in bad, they were fine prior to the drops. Non-stop sneezing and now a stuffy nose."

• Mag...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• April 23, 2019

For Dry Eye Disease "I have been using Xiidra for severe dry eye (MGD), and it has been a blessing as I am able to see again! My vision was restored. After 4 months of using drops 2 times a day, my eyes will not stop tearing. I can barely function with the amount of watering my eyes do throughout the day. Has anyone else experienced this? Happy to have my vision stabilized, but going crazy with the tearing."

• Pat...
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• May 4, 2023

For Dry Eye Disease "I have tried using this drug twice now. Each time, I lasted no longer than 6-8 months. The first time I began using it, my doctor gave me a steroid drop to use to help with the severe burning Xiidra caused upon the first few applications. I didn't notice any major improvements, but things were not getting worse, so I kept using it. About 6 months in, I began getting dacryoliths and severe tear duct pain. My eyes became gritty, painful, and irritated (all things this drug was supposed to treat and prevent). My tear duct became blocked and started watering nonstop. I went to three different doctors, and no one could figure it out. I was actually told to keep using the Xiidra! After some steroid drops, an antibiotic, and an antibiotic shot at UC, the irritation finally resolved. Fast forward to a year later, after trying to restart Xiidra and 6 months in, I've experienced the exact same thing all over. I quit for good last night and will be going to the eye doctor next week to try something else."

• Eri...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• January 14, 2022

For Dry Eye Disease "I can't decide which is worse, Xiidra or the doctor who prescribed it to me. Where do I begin? I was given this for dry eye/ocular rosacea. The metallic taste I could tolerate considering I'd taken drops before that helped a lot but had a metallic taste (steroids). No big deal. But the significant pain, redness, tearing, and ongoing loss of vision I couldn't tolerate whatsoever. Yes, some drugs feel crappy but make you feel better. But these are eyes we're talking about. I'm not gonna put a topical medication on my eyeball that makes it more red and painful and causes vision loss. Don't put this stuff in your eyes. Just don't."

• Sid...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• February 24, 2022

For Dry Eye Disease "Within 24 hours of starting these drops, I got headaches, nausea, dizziness, sinus pressure, eye/eye socket pain (especially the corners). I have not used them in 4 days and am still plagued with debilitating headaches (and I have NEVER had headaches before). My eyes still feel dry, but while I was using them, my right eye was so excessively tearing that it was almost as if I was crying all day long. Now the last 3 days, I have been getting these white chunks draining down the back of my throat that taste like the Xiidra drops even though it’s been 4 days without them. I’ve also still had nausea and now diarrhea for 3 days. The only thing that has changed is the eye drops. Sad. Sad. Sad. How can an eye drop cause all of this? :("

• Jil...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• May 25, 2017

"I've been on this medication for 1 month. My eyes have a burning sensation that lasts for about 30 minutes after application. I find the plastic container very difficult to use. It is very small, and the plastic is extremely stiff. I have RA, and pinching to get the drop out is almost impossible for me. The worst part is the tearing that I have NEVER had before. It lasts for a few hours, and my eyes are crusted every morning when I wake up. I'm not very pleased with this new RX."

• jea...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• June 10, 2022

For Dry Eye Disease "That little red demon in the advertisement is not really the dry eye symptoms... it is the drops themselves! After three days of use, I awakened with swollen, painful, crusted eyes and tearing that ran like a stream down my face all day. This is now day three after stopping the med, and my eyes are still very painful and terribly swollen. I still woke up with eyes glued shut, although the excessive tearing has stopped. I saw the optometrist yesterday, who prescribed steroid eye drops. I am hoping these side effects go away soon. I'm so sorry I ever put that garbage in my eyes!"

• myd...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• February 12, 2017

"I've been using Xiidra for 2 months. It began working immediately. It burned a little on initial use, but that has subsided. I do have blurry vision for approx 15-20 minutes and sometimes watery eyes lasting longer. I also had inflammation in my eyes and blepharitis. I clean my eyes every night with baby shampoo. The inflammation has cleared up. I also use lubricating drops during the day, which were not enough before I started on Xiidra. My eye doctor told me about the burning, itching, and bad taste, which does not affect me badly enough to worry about it. I think it's worth trying this medicine, don't give up right away as some of these side effects go away with use."

• Hor...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• May 23, 2017

"I filled the one free month coupon my eye doctor suggested I try. I used it for six days, and my eyes became so irritated I stopped. My eyes have been tearing down my face and itching now for five days. Miserable, this is the first day they have felt better. Very scary, I thought maybe I had done permanent damage. Trust me, not good."

• Jan...
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• May 18, 2018

For Dry Eye Disease "I have dry eyes and was using Restasis, which did nothing. Xiidra has worked miracles for me, and I have no dry eyes any longer. Reading through the reviews, I'll provide some comments. Irritating eye sensation? Yes, but it goes away after a few minutes once the drug works, and eyes start to produce tears. Restasis irritated my eyes, too, and that irritation never went away since it didn't cause my eyes to create tears. Taste in the back of your throat? All eye drops go down through your tear ducts into your throat (gravity). As that happens, you might feel and taste it. I noticed this same thing with every other eye drop. Excessive tearing - that's because the drug is causing your eyes to produce tears, which is what it's supposed to do. The more tears you produce, the better it's working for you. It's easy enough to wipe the tears out of your eyes - just remember that means the drug is doing what you paid for - creating tears!"

• Tex...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• August 21, 2018

For Dry Eye Disease "Been using Xiidra for a month. It does help my dry eyes, but the side effects are pretty bad. Immediately after instilling the drops, my eyes burn, blurred vision for at least 30 minutes, crusty eyes, excessive tearing that lasts for a couple of hours, and last but not least, it feels like I have a sinus infection. I was hoping for success, as the dry eyes are miserable."

• Sky...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• December 11, 2017

"Bad taste but improves over time. Severe headache but again... improved with continual use. Then right eye started excessive tearing and running down my face. Stopped med for two days and got better, then restarted. Two more weeks, then right eye started excessive tearing again... and face broke out in rash... looks like new onset rosacea, so made appointment with dermatologist and eye doc. Never had any issues before starting this med. Really worried now... should have waited before starting a brand new med before it had been out long enough. I am a pharmacist and know better."

• Min...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• January 27, 2017

"I've been on Xiidra for over 3 months after using Restasis for 5 years. I'm seeing vast improvements, although there is some burning (which is no worse than the burning I experienced with Restasis). I did have the severe tearing, as mentioned by Twiggy123, but my doctor advised me to quit all other non-prescription dry eye drops, and the tearing stopped."

• Lil...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• July 9, 2018

For Dry Eye Disease "On day 7 of use in my right eye only, that eye started tearing badly throughout the day. I discontinued use that night. The next day, I had a pain in my eye area next to my nose so severe I could barely function. The next morning, my eye began producing pus-like discharge and was weeping and blurry all day. I still had extreme pain in the eye area near my nose. The following morning, I woke up with severe puffiness around that eye and still very tender. Later that day, I broke out in a rash on my chest (this is the third day after stopping taking it). I was hopeful for this medicine to help my eye problems, but the side effects/allergic reaction were much worse than the original problem. Very disappointed. I did give it a two, because in the beginning, I felt like it might have been helping."

• Mic...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• August 26, 2018

For Dry Eye Disease "My eyes continued to get more watery and red, very uncomfortable. Didn't feel well at all. All at once got a serious case of reflux, which I had never had before. Seemed like the product caused drainage into sinus, on to throat area. Realized Xiidra may have been to blame, quit using, my eyes' extreme redness, watering ceased immediately."

• VIS...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• March 16, 2023

"After applying just one drop of this garbage as part of a routine pre-cataract surgery regimen, in less than 2 days, Xiidra caused complete maturation of my dad's cataract, resulting in complete vision loss out of that eye. The doctor who prescribed it denied my dad's report of itchiness, redness, excessive tearing, and blurred vision, calling them 'subjective.' Although the exam revealed complete cataract maturation, the doctor denied it was caused by Xiidra but had no other explanation. This disgusting coward refused to do my dad's surgery since we questioned 'his expert medical opinion.' The new, very experienced doctor we found who did the surgery said my dad's case was the most difficult cataract case she'd ever done due to difficulties she experienced in changing the lens. Miraculously, the vision returned completely with the new lens once the dressing came off. People, be your own advocates and research before you put anything into your bodies. Doctors get incentives for prescribing poisons."

• Blo...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• December 23, 2017

"I have Meibomian gland dysfunction (MGD) and was on Restasis for the last few years. I’m 30 and have never really found something that works well to totally treat it. I take fish oil, sauna, hot compresses, and gel drops. Started Xiidra a week and a half ago, so far, my eyes feel better, but there is a stinging for a while and blurriness. Started getting a headache and pain in my left tear duct, excessive tearing, and kind of sticky lid with blurry sight. Will have to continue to assess it and follow up with my eye doctor if it doesn’t get better."

• Mar...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• August 24, 2018

For Dry Eye Disease "I had Lasik about 7 years ago for reading. I felt the effect was wearing off, and I was beginning to need reading glasses once again, which I just dread. I started using Xiidra about 3 months ago, and the effect was immediate - I no longer need glasses. My eyes do tear for a while, so I just take it at night and lay down for 10 minutes in the afternoon for a second dose. It's expensive, but I make one vial last for 2 doses, so not so bad, better than glasses! Love being eyeglass-free!"

• Sar...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• April 7, 2021

For Dry Eye Disease "I would not use these drops on a dog. I used them for about 5 or 6 weeks. They caused shortness of breath. They would burn every time I used them. Eyes felt gritty and constant tearing. I have cornea dystrophy, and these drops flared up the left eye. Eye is still blurry, and I am taking antibiotic drops along with artificial tears and waiting on further treatment. I wouldn't give Xiidra one star."

• SH2...
• November 6, 2017

"The liquid generally sticks at the end of the vial, so you have to 'flick' at it to push it towards the tip before twisting off the cap. Xiidra leaves a bitter taste in my mouth for a good 30 mins. It causes watery eyes for about the same time too. 2 times every 12 hours can be a pain. Some days I forget and end up doing it once every 24 hours. It's been 4 months now and it's helped a little bit. Won't know for sure if my dry eyes are 'cured' after 12 months of use. We'll see when I get off it."

• Nic...
• August 1, 2021

For Dry Eye Disease "It has totally made my dry eye worse than before I started using it. Over-the-counter eye drops were better. Xiidra made my eye problems worse. The doctor said it would take 3 months to work, it has been more than 3 months, and now my eye problems are worse. It has caused excessive tearing compared to before. It felt like I had pinkeye every day I used it. This is awful. Now I have to return to the doctor to see how I can make my dry eye better."

• Sar...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• March 21, 2021

For Dry Eye Disease "Started using Xiidra. It burned and felt like I had a ton of sand in my eyes, tearing throughout the day. My vision got worse, found out it flared up my corneal dystrophy. Stopped the drops and started using Refresh Mega 3 several times a day, vision has gotten better. Will not use it again."

• She...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• March 22, 2018

For Dry Eye Disease "Great for my left eye, but my right eye has excessive tearing. It waters all day. Going on week 4. I’m not sure what to do."