9 Dry Eye Treatments That Bring Relief — My Medicine Cabinet
Key takeaways:
Since being diagnosed with dry eye a couple of years ago, Amanda Gaskell has tried just about everything to manage her symptoms.
She spends about $350 a month on items to soothe her symptoms, ranging from eye drops and sleep goggles to healthy foods and humidifiers.
While her routine takes time and money that not everyone has, she considers the patience and expense worth the relief.
Our Medicine Cabinet series explores what real people keep on hand and consider essential for their particular needs — even if a doctor didn’t prescribe it.
Dry eye upended Amanda Gaskell’s life when she started experiencing symptoms 2 years ago. Her eyes were constantly burning, a feeling made worse by heat, wind, and bright light. She stopped attending her sons’ soccer games, struggled in the kitchen, and eventually gave up driving and biking. She would retreat to her bed around 7 every night, even though she found her eyes became even more irritated then.
“I was exhausted. I had a lot of anxiety, a lot of depression, and things were getting worse,” says Amanda, 33, of Yakima, Washington. “I was at the eye doctor twice a week trying to get answers because I was so miserable.”
Her ophthalmologist quickly diagnosed her with dry eye, a painful condition that occurs when eyes don’t make enough tears. Common symptoms include burning or itchy eyes. About 16 million Americans have the condition, according to the National Eye Institute, a division of the National Institutes for Health.
Anyone can get dry eye, but people ages 50 and older are most at risk. Women are more likely to develop dry eye than men. Contact lens users also have an increased risk.
Treatment through trial and error
Amanda, who had stopped wearing contact lenses when the first symptoms occurred, was grateful for the speedy diagnosis. Finding the right treatment combination, however, took more time.
Amanda tried prescription eye drops, autologous serum drops made from her own plasma, and had punctal plugs inserted into her tear ducts. But her condition did not significantly improve.
Then Amanda was fortunate enough to find an ophthalmologist in Seattle, about 2 hours from her home, specializing in dry eye. At the office, she had her first intense pulsed light (IPL) therapy treatment and felt immediate relief. In the last 18 months, Amanda has had IPL therapy 16 times. (In 2021, the FDA approved the use of non-laser light energy for the treatment of dry eye.)
“I had to learn to live a whole other life to manage this,” says Amanda, who writes about the condition for chronicdryeye.net.
Through trial and error, she’s also learned which prescriptions, products, and practices best work for her. These are her nine prescription and product essentials.
1. Omega-3 fish oil supplements
Amanda uses omega-3 fish oil supplements, which do not require a prescription, to support eye comfort and keep irritation at bay. She likes the brand HydroEye, a nutritional supplement that claims to help smooth the surface of the cornea and reduce eye irritation. The supplement costs about $40 for a month’s supply.
2. Xiidra eye drops
Amanda uses the prescription eye drop Xiidra, which targets a source of inflammation that can cause dry eye disease, unlike lubricating artificial tears.
3. Night eye ointment and sleep goggles
Every night when she goes to bed, Amanda uses Optase Hylo Night Eye Ointment and wears Eye Eco Tranquileyes sleep goggles. She gets both over the counter.
The ointment costs about $17 per tube and is preservative-free and thicker than eye drops. It coats her eyes like a protective film to relieve symptoms of burning, itching, and dryness.
The sleep goggles cost about $35 to $50 a pair online. The goggles are like a padded, memory foam eye mask that are meant to create total darkness, keep her eyelids closed, and increase humidity around her eyes.
“For the most part, I sleep through the night [now], which is amazing,” Amanda says.
4. Tyrvaya nasal spray
Amanda’s list of go-tos also includes a prescription medication called Tyrvaya, a nasal spray approved by the FDA, in 2021, to treat dry eye by increasing tear production.
5. A device that stimulates her own tears
She also uses a pocket-sized device called an iTear 100. She holds it to the bridge of her nose for about 30 seconds to stimulate her nasal nerve to produce tears. She uses it as many as four times a day. It is a prescription, FDA-approved device.
6. Moisture chamber glasses
Amanda initially felt self-conscious wearing Ziena Moisture Chamber glasses. The $180 glasses have clear silicone “eye cups” attached to the frames to block wind and other airborne irritants. She now appreciates them because they allow her to be outside in the wind, doing things such as watching her sons play soccer or riding her bike.
“My eyes are comfortable, so I’ll wear whatever I need to,” she says.
7. An eyelid scrub or cleanser
Amanda also cleans her eyelids every night, which takes about 30 seconds per eye.
“You wash your hair and body. Your eyelashes and eyelids need the same thing,” she says.
Amanda uses a device called NuLids. This costs about $329 online for a starter kit. But there are cheaper ways to achieve the same result. You can get specific eyelid scrubs like OCuSOFT or TheraTears. Or even a tear-free baby shampoo or gentle face wash will do the job. Using your finger, gently wash each eyelid (top and bottom) back and forth right along the eyelash line. Once a day is all that’s needed.
8. More prescription eye drops for flare-ups
When she has flare-ups of symptoms such as redness, burning, scratching, tearing, and blurred vision, she uses a prescription called Eysuvis.
It is a steroid administered as an eye drop and can be taken for up to 2 weeks at a time. “It really does help,” she says.
9. Moist heat eye compress
Amanda’s final medicine cabinet essential for treating dry eye is the Bruder Moist Heat Eye Compress. Amanda says she uses this over-the-counter treatment, which costs around $20, once or twice daily. She warms the eye pads in the microwave and places them on her eyes for about 10 minutes.
It’s meant to help clear oil glands and allow natural oils to flow back onto the eye to relieve discomfort. “It just feels good,” she says.
More habits that help
In addition to her medicine cabinet must-haves, Amanda says she has other habits that help her manage her dry eye condition. These include:
Eating healthy: Amanda has emphasized whole foods in her meals, eliminated dairy and gluten, and drastically cut back on sugar. “It seemed daunting, but really it was the best thing I’ve ever done [for my health],” she says.
Eliminating possible irritants: She also stays away from things that might irritate her eyes, including perfumes, makeup, scented candles, and air fresheners.
Finding peers for support: The Dry Eye Facebook group Amanda frequents has more than 18,000 members.
Using humidifiers: Amanda has an industrial humidifier in her living room and a small one by her nightstand that helps her keep the air inside her house at about 50% humidity. She also uses a humidifier inside her car and while traveling.
Amanda estimates that her eye drops and supplemental therapies cost about $350 a month. But, for her, she believes that’s money — and time — well spent.
“It definitely feels like a full-time thing just keeping up with everything,” she says. “This condition can be debilitating and really diminish your quality of life.
“Having all of these tools in my toolbox and the lifestyle changes I’ve made allow me to sit out at a soccer game and ride my bike. Cooking doesn’t kill my eyes. When I have flare-ups, I know which medications can help me.”
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