After receiving a prescription for Restasis in December, I was hopeful to try the eyedrops which promise help for seriously dry eyes. As I wrote earlier, I quickly found out that this wasn’t going to happen easily.
My insurance refused to pay for Restasis. I had to first try and fail Xiidra. That sounded alright, so I asked for the prescription. My insurance would let me order it, but I still would have to pay $550 a month. I couldn’t believe it! This was way too expensive for me.
Because I get my insurance through the exchange, I was thankful that it was the last day to change my plan for the new year. We called and talked to an agent who helped us update my policy to one that would cover Xiidra. We found that we had to get a more expensive policy, with an additional monthly premium of +$300. After doing the math, it was going to make sense.
Now our monthly premium has added more of a burden to our budget. But, I was able to get the eyedrops this past week. It will now cost me $100 per month for this one prescription. It’s still very expensive, but we are going to be able to do it.
After the first drops I was able to tell that my eyes were less dry. I should be able to tell the full effect in another week or so. So far, my eyes aren’t getting super dry until after 10pm. Before the drops, the severe dryness and blurriness started by 7 or 8 pm. This is a big change and I can’t wait to see how much better they will get.
Sjogren’s Syndrome is so annoying. Eye dryness is my most annoying symptom, simply because my vision gets horrible at night. I really can’t see to read anything when they’re real dry. I wish that I had been prescribed the eyedrops before now. And, honestly, if you have Sjogren’s there should be universal coverage for these types of drops.
Dental coverage should also be covered under medical (not dental) insurance. Those of us with Sjogren’s are experiencing terrible dental problems because of dry mouth. Severe dry mouth causes dental decay and tooth loss. My mouth is a perfect case of Sjogren’s dental problems.
I hope to report an even better update on my eyedrop trial soon. If you have Sjogren’s and dry eyes, I hope you’ll be able to get one of these prescriptions.
@2020, copyright Lisa Ehrman
Disclaimer: I’m not a medical expert. This post contains my opinions and is not meant to be taken as medical advice. If you have a medical concern, please consult your personal physician.