question on restasis

[painintheeye]

Dear Dr. Latkany,

I am 42 year old female with sudden onset of dry eye for 6 months. i started restasis about 5 months ago and thought i'd seen improvements because my usage of goggles and pain gradually decreased from an 8 to about a 2 or 3. but strangely the last 5 days, my eyes burn and sting a lot and my eyes looked dry and feel dry again. does it mean restasis is not working consistently for me? or my previous improvement is not contributable to restasis? i am really confused. i had thought if i improve i would continue to see improvement on a consistent basis?

second question is would eventual menopause make restasis less effective?

thank you for your reply,

Chris C

[Robert Latkany MD]

restasis will help and once by 6 months or so it should keep a consistent level but you hae ot rememeber there are many triggers to dry eye symptoms.
So juts because you have a bad week or two does not mean you failed restasis. Keep going with it. But it is also possible that you need more than just restasis. And menopause is just another hurdle to overcome in the dry
aging process and your symptoms will probably worsen during this stage unless you do something about it.