Sjogren's Syndrome Support Group

ALSO - what specific brands and product names drops and gels have preservatives that disappear??

I used Bausch & Lomb Soothe Hydration drops and they BURN.

So does Genteal gel - burns.

Never had that problem before using Refresh Tears. Wonder if it's the preservatives? Guess if it burns I shouldn't use it??? I hate to be cheap, but they are NOT cheap! And I can't bring it back if I opened it, I'm guessing. Not even sure where or when I bought them.

I like the refresh brand, but also find relief with the Wal-mart brand, equate--preservative free vials. At night, I always use an ointment after I saturate my eyes for a few minutes with drops.

I have also used the Thera Tear brand. They have a bottle of drops that has a preservative that disappears in the eye. I have that too, and keep a couple bottles here and there, like my purse. I mostly use the vials, but I use them more than once, usually taking half the day to use the whole vial. I have not asked my opthamologist about using the Thera tears instead of the vials, but I don't use it very often. It is very affordable.

Yes, all preservative free ones come in small vials. I find it so annoying, but I guess without the preservatives it doesn't last as long. But I bought some Refresh preservative free drops and looked in the box 6 months after buying them and half of them (unused) were moldy! Sometimes I have to put eye drops in when it's dark, so I'm just hoping I avoided the moldy ones.

I found Refresh made my eye drier. Systane now do preservative free small vials. I haven't tried them, my ophthalmologist gave me a free sample at my last appointment. But the Systane Ultra drops are my favourite.

I don't use the gels because they make my eyes itchy, but I think I may have seen a preservative free gel. But I don't live in the States, so things are probably different there.

Has anyone seen an OTC gel that isn't petroleum jelly cut with mineral oil?