Your dog will probably need drops for the rest of its' life. Here's the thing: First, you need to check the white part of the eyes with and without drops, to see if the eyes truly get irritated AFTER you use the Cyclosporin/Oil drops. Your dog may simply not like any drops being applied to the eyes for a few seconds, or there may be something in that mixture that burns the eyes. If the eyes become more red after the application then you need to try different LUBRICANTS. Eyes are very tricky. You need to apply, check and watch to make sure proper medication is prescribed. I had a dog with eye issues. Certain eye meds are NOT cheap! I think I went thru at least 20 different eye lubricants (people and for pets). We finally figured out that she was allergic to some type of lubricant that all the eye meds had in common. I had to import and eye medicaton from Canada called I-Drop VET . www.imedpharma.com. or (514)685-8118. I am NOT affiliated with them and I hope the info is still good. This was 4 years ago. I used the Canadian drops because they were made differently than the US meds, didn't burn and they didn't have that "foreign body" feel after application. I also had to use very little Prednisone ( 1 drop every day). Keep in mind that your dog's situation may be different, so you need to discuss all this with your Vet or an Opthalmologist. I just threw that extra allergy information and Canadian med out there for anyone who is struggling and can't find the right eye medication for their dog. Who would have thought that a dog can be allergic to the actual lubricant in the Lubricant med?

Since you've already seen all the necessary doctors (which I, too, was going to recommend) I will say that I use Systane Ultra and find it helps the best (tried others) particularly for burning. When my dry eyes flare up, I become very sensitive to light and my eyes burn. If it's really bad at night, use the gel but it's only recommended as you are getting ready for bed because it will blur your vision. If I get up during the night (which is pretty much daily) I have difficulty opening my eyes. The Opthamologist said the eyeball is literally sticking to the eyelid and do not try to force the eyes open because you can tear the retina. I massage the eyelids with my fingertips for a couple of seconds which spreads whatever moisture around and the eyes open easily.

coralee., if your family & friends don't support you its usually because they don't want to face their own issues.... the more u do/eat what u want, they more they will get used to it. they might never approve/like it , roll their eyes, but that's their issues. you can't change anyone!! you have to take care of yourself b/c no one else will.!! i changed my diet life style and i will never go back to what i was doing before. lost 15lbs. i now weigh what i did in 1999!! my bloodwork is excellent. my doctor is thrilled with what i am eating, she said i am eating "pure". have a hypothyroidism, but lost weight and feel great!! more energy., happier overall, more positive., when u feel good, life is good!! i am not on diet. its a diet lifestyle. i think when u say, oh i am dieting, u think u can go off it and resume what u were doing before. i think that's what gets people into trouble. to really change permanently, you have to do it all the time. to go back, you will just wind up where u were before. find a lifestyle that works for you, some thing u can live with and just make the change. totally agree with what was said upthread: your diet is 80% and exercise is 20% of weight loss.

I tried Restasis several years ago and couldn't tolerate it. The longer I used it, the more it hurt to use it, so I finally gave up on it. Later I figured out that my eyes don't tolerate castor oil, which is one of the inactive ingredients in Restasis. Castor oil can also be an ingredient in liquid tears, and I find it's more often in the heavier duty liquid tears. For me, it doesn't irritate my eyes instantly, but if I keep using eye drops with castor oil in them, my eyes just get more and more irritated. My doctor said it's not entirely uncommon to be sensitive to castor oil. So keep track of the inactive ingredients in the drops you're using just in case you see a pattern like that. I'll be interested to hear how Xiidra works for you - I still haven't really found much that helps my dry eyes!