Dry eye after AN surgery is extremely annoying, can be painful, and in some cases lead to loss of vision, scarring, and need for corneal transplant (this is pretty rare, however)
First mainstay is artificial tears, the thicker the better (Celluvisc, Genteal Gel, Refresh Liquigel, and especially Refresh Endura (this is the inactive vehicle that Restasis comes in). naturally, the thicker the drop, the blurrier the vision, at least for a while. Lubricating ointment at bedtime is a must (Lacri-Lube, Refresh PM), although you'll be a little gooey when you wake up.Leave the ceiling fan off when your'e sleeping. sometimes ordinary swim goggles help. there are also various brands of moist chambers, which are taped or banded over the eyes to reduce evaporation around the eye's local environment.
If you have significant difficulty closing the eye, strongly consider a gold weight implanted in the upper eyelid. Its' a short procedure, and partially closes the eye, reducing evaporation of your body's natural tears.
Punctum plugs, which are placed in the tear drains in your eyelids to keep your natural tears in your eyes where they belong (analogous to putting the stopped in the drain to keep the water in the bathtub.) very safe and often effective.
Lastly, Restasis, a pricey prescription eyedrop can increase tear production and may help some folks.
Hope this helps.
