Rather than answer your question (which you can find by looking at
their website), I'll say this: if a LASIK doc just told you your eyes
are too dry for LASIK, run--don't walk--away from the notion of LASIK
and don't ever look back.

You might want to spend some time on this forum:

http://www.dryeyezone.com/talk/index.php?

Read the stories of people who were NOT diagnosed as having dry eye
syndrome, went ahead with LASIK (or similar) and now are *suffering*
with chronic dry eyes.

Your ophthalmologist just gave you a gift.  The odds of Restasis
altering the wisdom of that gift are slim.

Best of luck!

Restasis is cyclosporine, a drug approved in the US in 1983 for suppressing
the action of T-cells and preventing transplant rejection.

In the eye, it is said to improve tear production by decreasing inflammation
in the lacrimal glands. It should be noted that other agents like Acular and
oral flax seed oil are known to have similar action.

Restasis can be used after lenses are removed, and up to 15 minutes before
contacts are inserted. The Restasis literature says that people with
decreased tear production shouldn't be wearing contacts anyway.

The best you can hope for is that LASIK won't increase dryness. Most LASIK
patients report a variable period of dryness after the procedure, thought to
be due to damage to corneal nerves involved in the tearing reflex.

-MT, OD

When I first heard about "dry eye", I thought, well, what's the big
deal?  People have other parts of their body dry, and it isn't a big
deal.  As I've read about people with dry eye, I now realize that it is
a serious problem.  It's pain, agony, loss of vision and a lot of time
and energy, not to mention surgery, to fix it.

LASIK causes dry eye in some people.  If you already have dry eyes, this
could be a major problem.  Then again, it might not.

You might get lucky, but you might really regret having LASIK.  A lot of
people do.

There's a reason your doctor rejected you.

How old are you?  What is your refractive error?  Do YOU feel your eyes
are dry?

w.stacy, o.d.

In my practice I have not been impressed with the efficacy of Restasis.

Most of your average-type patients who experience dry eyes as a result of
natural aging, meibomian dysfunction, medications they are taking,
environmental conditions they encounter at work, etc. show little to no
improvement with Restasis in my experience.  Despite the high price of the
medication!

However, I have had a couple of patients who suffer from autoimmune
disorders like Sjogrens or Lupus who seemed to experience improvement.  This
makes sense in light of the immunosuppressant action of cyclosporin.

Paula-- do you have any relevant medical conditions that may contribute to
your dry eye problem?

Overall, I think the best therapy for average dry eye suffers is still tear
supplements, plugs, and flax oil/fish oil supplements.  I think the interest
in Restasis is due to mass marketing rather effectiveness of the drug.

What are the feelings of the other eye docs here?  Do you think my
assessment is off base?

==================