Explore the 'Optometry Blog' on vision and eye health issues in Santa Cruz. Learn about local community events and relevant news relating to optometry.
Blepharitis is an inflammation of the eyelids which casues the formation of red, itchy, dandruff-like scales around the eyelashes —the condition is often chronic and becomes more and more difficult to treat as its severity increases.
Read MoreWhile listening to the radio, Dr Ayesha Burns heard that one of the items the fire fighters in Big Sur needed most was eye wash and lubricating drops. That day, we contacted our reps at Alcon to coordinate a donation of over 600 bottles of Systane Ultra and Systane Balance artificial tears. We are excited to be in the unique position to help our community, and our thoughts are with those who have lost their homes and our fire fighters who are working tirelessly to protect further loss.
Updated: 11/29/2016
Xiidra Dry Eye Drops
Xiidra from Shire Pharmaceuticals is prescriotion eye drop for the treatment of inflammatory dry eye.
Dry eye disease is a condition that affects 10-15 percent of all Americans. The optometry community is excited to have another option for it's treatment.
Read the FDA statement here.
The effectivy of Xiidra was confirmed in a double blind study of thousands of patients ages 19-97 compared against a placebo treatment.
Xiidra is not yet covered by Medicare or other vision and medical insurances.
In clinical trials, the most common adverse reactions reported in 5-25% of patients were instillation site irritation, dysgeusia and reduced visual acuity. Other adverse reactions reported in 1% to 5% of the patients were blurred vision, conjunctival hyperemia, eye irritation, headache, increased lacrimation, eye discharge, eye discomfort, eye pruritus and sinusitis.
The most important step you need to follow is to use Xiidra as your doctor tells you, beyond that here are a couple of tips:
Contact lenses should be removed prior to the administration of Xiidra and may be reinserted 15 minutes following administration.
Use 1 drop of Xiidra in each eye, 2 times each day, about 12 hours apart.
Use Xiidra right away after opening. Throw away the single-use container and any unused solution after you have applied the dose to both eyes. Do not save any unused Xiidra for later.
To avoid the potential for eye injury or contamination of the solution, patients should not touch the tip of the single-use container to their eye or to any surface.
For more advice on properly using your Xiidra Prescription you can watch following video or click here to download the “How to Use Xiidra” pdf.
Do not use Xiidra if you are allergic to any of its ingredients. Seek medical care immediately if you get any symptoms of an allergic reaction.
The most common side effects of Xiidra include eye irritation, discomfort or blurred vision when the drops are applied to the eyes, and an unusual taste sensation.
It is not known if Xiidra is safe and effective in children under 17 years of age.
For additional safety information, click here for Full Prescribing Information and Patient Information and discuss with your doctor.
You are encouraged to report negative side effects of prescription drugs to the FDA. Visit http://www.fda.gov/medwatch, or call 1-800-FDA-1088.
