Dry eye syndrome (DES or dry eye) is a chronic lack of sufficient lubrication and moisture on the surface of the eye. Its consequences range from minor irritation to the inability to wear contact lenses and an increased risk of corneal inflammation and eye infections.
Discover Xiidra ®, used for the treatment of the signs and symptoms of dry eye disease.
Dry eye syndrome is an ongoing condition that treatments may be unable to cure. But the symptoms of dry eye – including dryness, scratchiness and burning – can usually be successfully managed.
Xiidra is a prescription eye drop solution used to treat the signs and symptoms of dry eye disease. Xiidra comes in eye drop form, and the prescription for most people will be a drop in each eye twice a day.
Xiidra’s Benefits Over Restasis
One main difference between Restasis, a decade-old medication used to treat dry eye, and Xiidra is that Xiidra is approved to treat not just dry eye signs but its symptoms as well. That distinction is because of the nature of the product. Xiidra stops a chemical chain reaction in the cells. When the drop hits the eye, the drop binds with proteins in the cells that stop the signals that would otherwise create many of the problems and symptoms of dry eye including itching, burning, pain, and redness. This effect can be noticed quite quickly!
Xiidra was found to start working in test subjects as early as two weeks after the beginning of the application and most felt the difference within 12 weeks. That’s a huge jump forward from Restasis, which typically takes about six months before a real difference is felt by users.
Before you use Xiidra, tell your Wilder eye doctor if you:
- are using any other eye drops
- wear contact lenses
- are pregnant or plan to become pregnant.
- are breastfeeding or plan to breastfeed.
If you are considering LASIK, be aware that dry eyes may disqualify you for the surgery, at least until your dry eye condition is successfully treated. Dry eyes increase your risk for poor healing after LASIK, so most surgeons will want to treat the dry eyes first, to ensure a good LASIK outcome. This goes for other types of vision correction surgery, as well.
