My Exp with Systane

[Delilah]

I would have to say that Systane helps a lot better than the GenTeal drops, for me the GenTeal are too thick and just messes up my eyes even more, I found that the Systane drops provide enough moisture to let me have some relief for about an hour or 2 at the most. I like the Systane and these drops were given to me by my eye doctor here in Pocatello, Idaho for free, I am not sure how much they really are as eye drops cost and arm and a leg lol Anyway's I just wanted everyone to know my exp with Systane. Thank you Delilah

[Gaye]

Not only do they cost and arm and a leg, but you have to throw in a kidney for good measure! They are expensive, but they really are one of my favorites. But now that I have been trying the Dwelle and Dakrina (Dwelle being my favorite), I don't use them as much as I used too. GenTeal Gel for night is good, but not during the day - you are right, too thick. The other GenTeal formulas don't work for me at all, so I don't bother with them.

You are right about this forum too. This is a great group of people and it really makes you realize that you are not alone and there is always someone out there ready to listen and offer a bit of advice, or a sympathetic ear. I can't tell you how glad I was when I found this.

Take care and don't let it get you down.

Gaye

[Gogo]

I would have to say that Systane helps a lot better than the GenTeal drops, for me the GenTeal are too thick and just messes up my eyes even more, I found that the Systane drops provide enough moisture to let me have some relief for about an hour or 2 at the most. I like the Systane and these drops were given to me by my eye doctor here in Pocatello, Idaho for free, I am not sure how much they really are as eye drops cost and arm and a leg lol Anyway's I just wanted everyone to know my exp with Systane. Thank you Delilah

I'm glad to hear this. Dr. Sall started me on GenTeal. Sustane wasn't out then. But I understand from Kyle that those are the only two that he highly recommends.

In a clinical study in his office we had no choice during the study we had to use Refresh. During the study 95% of the participants asked if they could go back to the GenTel but for control we were denied the GenTeal until the study was finished.

[holly]

I like the Systane drops also. They're really no more expensive than other eye drops: about $8-$10 at Wal-Mart.

[jcorbett]

Aren't there two types of Systane....with preservatives and without? Which type are you guys using?

[Gogo]

Aren't there two types of Systane....with preservatives and without? Which type are you guys using?

I hadn't heard that I would be interested in knowing that too. I have only seen one in the pharmacy but not anywhere else.

[Rebecca Petris]

They offer a preservative free version in single-use vials. $19.49 for 56 on drugstore.com.

[jcorbett]

Soooo....the docs are recommending Systane with preservatives for frequent use? Interesting. I thought they tried to steer you away from preservatives if you were using a lot of the drops. But then, Dr. HOlly's drops have preservatives, so it must depend on what kind of preservatives they are.
Does anyone know why Systane is thought so highly of? Is the drop that unique or just a marketing ploy?

[Rebecca Petris]

Soooo....the docs are recommending Systane with preservatives for frequent use? Interesting. I thought they tried to steer you away from preservatives if you were using a lot of the drops. But then, Dr. HOlly's drops have preservatives, so it must depend on what kind of preservatives they are.
Does anyone know why Systane is thought so highly of? Is the drop that unique or just a marketing ploy?

Yes, there are many different kinds of preservatives and they are not all bad. (Ours, incidentally, is no more irritating than saline even with frequent use.) It was benzalkonium chloride that initially started the stampede towards single-use vials but I think there has been a bit of a backlash due to the cost and wastage.

As regards Systane: It's always hard to tell because the popularity of any artificial tear does undoubtedly depend in a certain measure on whether doctors have a continuous supply of samples of it in their office, which has a direct relationship to marketing dollars. Refresh and Systane are probably the most readily available as samples, so no surprise that they're the most frequently recommended drops. I don't mean that cynically, it's just a practical observation (any docs reading this that differ, feel free to contradict if I'm wrong!!).

Personally, I can't stand Systane, which irritates the heck out of my eyes, but then so does practically everything else but my beloved NutraTear most of the time. AND, in terms of casual comment from doctors I hear many positive reports of it. I would guess at this point it's the most likely over-the-counter remedy (available on drugstore shelves) for doctors to favour for their moderate-to-severe dry eye patients.

[Kyle]

I just saw this thread and wanted to get back to what Gogo has posted.
Yes, Dr. Sall told me he usually just wants his patients to use the GenTeal lubricant eye drops..those are his favorites. His second choice is the Systane preservative-free vials. I don't know why he wants me to use just these two, but they seem to work (with all the other stuff he has me using as well), so why mess with what seems to be working!

[Gogo]

They offer a preservative free version in single-use vials. $19.49 for 56 on drugstore.com.

I saw them at Wal-Mart for less. Can't remember the price but the $19.49 shocked me so I know it was less.

[kurt]

The preservative-free, 56-vial boxes are available for $16.79 at americanrx.com (http://store.darisimall.com/834705.html
I purchased around twelve boxes--and I think it was from this website, though I can't remember for sure--and the shipping was free.

[Lucy]

I purchased around twelve boxes--and I think it was from this website, though I can't remember for sure--and the shipping was free.

Kurt, for that much $$, they should have delivered the stuff to your door and by the company president, no less!

[Gogo]

I tried Sustane today for the first time. I usually use GenTeal. I was surprised how well my eyes felt usng Sustane. I used the ones with preservative, so they must be gentle.

[Lucy]

I just used a vial of Systane as I have a 4 vial sample box. It's been half an hour and my vision is just now clearing. The drops are preservative free. The drops stung, felt sticky, terribly blurred my vision and were the worst drops I've ever tried. I still have 3 vials left, and will try again another day, just to make sure I wasn't having a bad day due to other reasons. I have never tried Systane before and it's probably the only commercial drop I hadn't tried.

[rhohltjr]

Just had my annual checkup at Dr. Tylock in Dallas. (my lasik do-er ).
One of the staff informed me that Systane is apparently developing a
thicker gel for night time. So I'll add that to my list of night time stuff.

Hope this isn't old info for yall.

rhohltjr

[Rebecca Petris]

One of the staff informed me that Systane is apparently developing a
thicker gel for night time.

It's a new liquid gel called Systane Free. I believe it's already available in the online pharmacies.

[neil0502]

I've been using a veritable buffet of Soothe, Systane, Thera Tears, GenTeal lube (nighttime), and Blink Contacts Lubricant drops (blur me pretty badly).

I stay away from Benzalkonium Chloride (preservative) -- far, far away (apparently, it's what caused my dry eye), but don't see any harm in trying to coax each drop's particular benefit out of it....

[Rebecca Petris]

I've been using a veritable buffet of Soothe, Systane, Thera Tears, GenTeal lube (nighttime), and Blink Contacts Lubricant drops (blur me pretty badly).

Wow. A little chemistry experiment on the epithelium, in fact?

[neil0502]

Wow. A little chemistry experiment on the epithelium, in fact?

Yeah...

In Spanish, my name translates into "Confounding Variables."

For a while there, I tried just one for a week, then switched, and on and on. Since nothing seemed to work any better for me than anything else, I just threw caution to the wind and started rotating through the day. Besides that, I'd acquired quite a collection of fast-expiring and expensive drops. Figured I'd rather use 'em up than throw 'em out

[Rebecca Petris]

Well, it's not that I think you'll hurt yourself (esp. assuming plenty of time is allowed between applications) but I'm inclined to discourage other readers from doing that, on the basis that the effects on potential efficacy of any of them could be questionable when they're being rotated that way. Different ATS are based on different polymers and nobody's tested all the interactions. If you're just trying to use them up, I'd sure suggest not using more than one type per day?

[neil0502]

Fair points.

I do allow significant time--typically hours--between application of different drops.

I noticed that Aging Eye Times seems to endorse the 'interchangeable or sequential' model:

It is apparent that there is no single artificial tear eyedrop that provides all of the surface healing strategies (bicarbonate ions, hypotonicity, viscosity, non-preserved). Therefore perhaps it may be beneficial to use different eyedrops interchangeably or sequentially - i.e. a drop of Systane or Refresh liquigel followed 5 minutes later by a drop of Bion Tears (Murine Tears has the preservative BAC, therefore avoid it) followed 5 minutes later by a drop of Thera Tears or Thera Tears liquid gel (Hypo Tears and Akwa Tears has BAC, therefore avoid them). This cycle may be repeated every 2 to 4 hours. At night use a non-preserved ointment like Refresh PM ointment. Avoid Lacrilube as it has preservative (chlorbutanol).

[Rebecca Petris]

Wow, that's a new one to me. Of course, differences in opinion about medicine and chemistry are even more prolific than brands of artificial tears.

[shells]

The new liquid gel product, "Systane Free", is available in some stores now. I bought some at Target about 2 weeks ago. It does not seem as thick to me as some of the other liquid gels I have tried, and it comes in a bottle which is nice. It is supposed to be "preservative free in the eye", kind of like the Genteal products I guess. So far I like the new liquid gel even better than the Systane drops. It seems more comfortable to me.

Shells

[aLensUsr]

Oddly I have found the preserved systane to work fine, but the non-preserved systane to be very irritating (I even asked for my money back).

I also find the "preservative free in the eye" claim a cause for caution. Sodium perborate (found in Softwear saline, GenTeal, etc.) hangs out in the eye for a minute before disappearing. In my case my eye is torched for the rest of the day. I am curious how the preservative in Systane Free works.

So far Purite (in Refresh Tears) has never bothered me.