Dry red eyes

[lroman850]

I've recently posted that I just recently started Restasis, but my question is will the red eyes start getting better as the Restasis starts to work. Does dry eyes cause them to be red.......... I mean they are not horribly red, but are somewhat irritated. Will my eyes be like this always or will they get better eventually.  My eye Dr. said they're not too bad, but I know that this is not they way they were before.  Can I use something with for my eyes that would not interfere with the Restasis.  I've tried the artificial drops but I don't see any change.  Any thing to clear my eyes a little........... And what are the restrictions for Restasis users, if any??????????????  By the way I am a contact lens wearer, but even with that I took a whole week off my lenses and the redness still didn't clear.  Any advice would be great..................... :)

[lroman850]

Thanks for the info..... I'm currently not on any meds, I just take a multi vitamin, calcium and an omega sup.  I will just try to be a little more patient like you said, and I'll run out and buy more or the artificial tear, cause I had run out..........  Thanks :)  

[Flavius G Pernoud III, MD]

The redness is caused by dilated capillaries on the surface of the eye. They dilate readily due to irritation. Eliminate all the irritation. Stop contacts. Stop any oral medications (with your doctor's advice and knowledge) which may be drying your eyes. The list is legion. Do not use any products which "whiten" your eyes. This can lead to a rebound effect which makes the inflammation worse. Try preservative free tears. Restasis takes months to work--you have to be patient. In my humble opinion, it's not as great as the company states.