Dry eye Optimmune users.

[Mel]

Looking for some advice please.

How long did it take before you noticed an improvement in the eyes?

Do they still often look red even if the Optimmune has proved to work with the Schirmer test?

How often is good to add Viscotears, even though the vet said 3 times a day?

Many thanks

[silly milly]

we use optimmune once a day with our westie.  she is 5 yrs old.  have used it since she was about 1.   dont use anything else.   there was  an initial improvement and she really has no problems now, but the vet told us to keep using it.

[Robbie34]

Optimmune never worked for Charley, but it should be effective within a week to ten days if it is going to work.  Viscotears needs to be applied as often as necessary.

If Optimmune is working then you should not need to apply Viscotears so often.  

[Mel]

Ok thank you for your replies.

[Lily Freya]

Looking for some advice please.

How long did it take before you noticed an improvement in the eyes?

Do they still often look red even if the Optimmune has proved to work with the Schirmer test?

How often is good to add Viscotears, even though the vet said 3 times a day?

Many thanks

Hi Mel.

I am probably going to be condemned for saying this....................but, after years of using optimune (as
Freya has dry eye)  we tried a product called 'Optrex acimist eye  spray'.  It has been fantatic. She no longer has gunky eyes..and they are not furiously red.   It is expensive, but it is worth it.

[lindseyp]

Purdey had Optimmune when she was first diognosed with dry eye & initially it did help & make a difference. She was also prescribed *visco tears & lacrilube* aswell, which although helped ease the condition, it didn't improve it as such.  The greatest change was when she was prescribed Maxitrol eye drops (& I touch wood when I say, it's worked perfectly for her & we've had no real problems for over a year  )
I think I'm right in saying that Optimmune is meant to assist the tear ducts to start working again. Purdeys are working again (albeit not 100%) but I can't say whether that is down to Optimmune, Maxitrol or just a natural occurance but they can start working again, for reasons unknown & without medical intervention....... don't give up hope Mel, pups eyes may right themselves one day 

*both prescribed but not at the same time 
I was advised to use the viscotears as & when needed inc. after exercise, eye care, sleep etc

[elaine.e]

William used to have an almost continuous, watery, slightly brown discharge from his right eye even as a young pup. He had the tear duct flushed when he was about 9 or 10 months old and the discharge stopped for several months then started again. A second procedure to flush it didn't work and the discharge became less frequent but thicker. He was prone to conjunctivitis and eye infections, particularly in the summer months and I eventually asked for a referral to an opthalmic specialist. She confirmed that he has dry eye and for the last 5 months he's been on Optimmune, which has made a difference. I noticed the improvement within the first week I think and subsequent Schirmer tests show that his left eye is fine now and the right one scores 14 consistently. Apparently anything above 15 is good and the specialist says 14 is OK. I think it was as low as 4 when the specialist first did the test in December last year.

I don't use anything else in his eyes as the Optimmune seems to be working well at the moment. His right eye looks a bit looser than the left and sometimes looks a bit red on the inside of the lower lid, but the specialist says that's mainly down to the pigmentation there, which happens to be quite pink.

[Mel]

Thank you for your replies. I've heard about the Optrex before and this does sound useful f we are out somewhere, I may invest in some, thank you.

I too am hoping as he is so young if may either right itself or work with the Optimmune. The left eye has tear marks from the nose side of the eye now, so that may be a good sign, I don't know. The right side does not have tear staining however when playing earlier he had some clear discharge from the right nostral, the dry side. Fingers crossed.

I'm going to find out if putting him on some homeopathic tablets, Euphrasia, (eye bright), may help too.

I've also read that in human females with dry eye Omega 3 helps greatly, so I'll try adding some more fish to his diet.

He has a small amount of clear/grey mucous once or twice a day from the eyes, more from the right, but it is so little, almost like sleep.

He's so totally fully of beans though. If it were not from the dry side of the nose you would suspect nothing.

Thanks for all your advice.