Good news for Dry Eye Sufferers: Ciclosporin eye drops

Ikervis has been launched in the UK. 
For several years now a medicine called Restasis has been available in the United States. Restasis is a drop containing ciclosporin. Ciclosporin acts by inhibiting the immune system. In the eye it helps to turn off immune cells that perpetuate the inflammation related to dry eye. These memory cell cause the condition to be chronic even when the signs of dry eye have been treated.

 In the UK we have not had a suitable alternative to Restasis and we were not able to prescribe it as it is not licenced here. However we now have a European alternative called Ikervis. Ikervis is also a ciclosporin drop. It is unpreserved and comes in unit doses and is used once everyday at bed time.

Unfortunately, it is not yet being prescribed on the NHS but as one of the few clinics in the UK that is licensed to prescribe medicine for eyes, we can give a private prescription at the Dry Eye Centre.

Book in for an assessment with our experts to see if Ikervis may be right for you.

Do I have Dry Eye? : Common Symptoms of Dry Eye

What are the most common symptoms of Dry Eye?

The most common symptoms of dry eye are:

  -Soreness
  -Burning
  -Gritty sensation
  -Redness
  -Visual disturbance (that often changes on blinking)

Dry eye has been shown to have a significant impact on quality of life and has also been linked to depression. We don't yet know what exactly causes dry eye, but we now know that there are two different forms of it. It can be mild to very severe and can sometimes fluctuate over time.

Take our questionnaire to find out if you have Dry Eye. 

Aqueous deficiencies: Why IPL is not a suitable treatment?

Do we use IPL for aqueous deficiencies? 
Intense Pulsed Light treatment is primarily for Meibomian gland dysfunction. Although it does reduce inflammation to the eye it is not an effective treatment for aqueous deficiency as the aqueous is produced in the lacrimal glands of the eye.

At the Dry Eye Centre we have many treatments for aqueous dry eye such as punctal plugs and ciclosporin medication. We will determine the type of dry eye you have at your initial assessment. If you have combined aqueous deficiency and Meibomian gland dysfunction then we may recommend IPL as part of your treatment.