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SKU: ZOC-BC 5343400800

ZocuShield Advanced Eyelid Gel (10mL)

Rated 3.0 out of 5
Based on 5 reviews
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  • - $-54.95
  • Regular price $54.95
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    About ZocuShield Advanced Eyelid Gel with Zokrex

    • Gel with micellar okra complexes
    • Syringe-style applicator
    • Contains 10mL (0.34 fl oz)

    Description (Rebecca's)

    Updated January 2022

    I originally added this okra-based product to the shop as more of a skin care product. However, Zocushield is generating a lot of interest and a strong following as an eyelid care product amongst people with MGD. 

    You're supposed to put a strip of this on the lower lid and massage it around. I find it quite comfortable to use, though it can feel a bit as though it is 'heating up' slightly for little while after massaging it in.

    Like I said, it's being used quite a bit for MGD, and like all other MGD care products, ask your doctor for a recommendation. But an additional use of this for some people may be helping to counteract the drying effects of warm compresses, which is a relatively common need. 

    Ingredient alert: Phenoxyethanol

    Description (Manufacturer's)

    About Zocular

    Okra Limited, founded by Dr. Peter Pham and the distributor for Zocular® products, is the first and only company to pioneer the use of a refined extract of Abelmoschus esculentus (aka Hibiscus esculentus), commonly known as okra, for your eyes and face in its products. Our proprietary okra-based formulation gives Zocular products their distinctive premium quality and effectiveness. 

    Zocular products contain our unique okra-infused Zocusome micelles that gently lift and clear the oil, debris, and residue on your eyelid margins to make your eyes and skin appear more natural and healthy.

    About ZocuShield

    Advanced Gel Therapy with High Efficacy for Tough Cases

    When clinical results matter, doctors turn to ZocuShield™ gel. Each ZocuShield syringe contains 10 ml of gel that delivers micellar okra complexes to provide superior clinical outcome. Just one drop of gel is all it takes to see and feel the difference for your eyes. 

    Instructions for use

    • Apply a thin strip of ZocuShield gel across the lower eyelid.
    • Close the eyelids and massage the gel over the lash and eyelids using gentle circular motions.
    • Repeat for the other eye.

    Caution

    Discontinue use if irritation or allergic symptoms occur.

    Ingredients

    Water, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice, Decyl Glucoside, Carboxymethyl Cellulose, Glycerin, Sodium Phytate, Caffeine, Hibiscus Esculentus (Okra), Disodium Cocoamphodiacetate, Citrus Unshiu Peel Extract, Rubus Idaeus Seed Oil, Sodium Chloride, Phenoxyethanol, Ethylhexylglycerin. 

    average rating 3.0 out of 5
    Based on 5 reviews
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    60% of reviewers would recommend this product to a friend
    Effectiveness
    Rated 2 out of 5
    Ease of Use
    Rated 3 out of 5
    Value
    Rated 2 out of 5
    Customer photos and videos
    5 Reviews
    Reviewed by C. N., from United States
    Verified Reviewer
    I don't recommend this product
    Age Range
    41 - 50
    Gender
    Female
    Use scleral lenses or PROSE
    No
    Eye Condition(s)
    • Dry eye disease
    Rated 1 out of 5
    Review posted

    Made my eyes worse

    My eye doctor examined my eyes and said I have dry eyes and recommended for me to use the zocushield eye gel product. I've been using it for less than a week and my eyes are now watery, gritty, sticky, and has gunky stuff around the eyes and lashes. I now constantly have to wipe my eyes in the morning and periodically throughout the day, causing irritation to the point where they are sensitive and itchy.

    Prior to using this product, my eyes felt fine (normal). I didn't feel anything was wrong with my eyes or knew I had dry eyes until after my annual eye examination. Felt as if I started to have eye issues after using this product.

    This product might work for others but definitely have made my eyes worse. Felt like my eyes were normal and after using this product, caused my eye condition/issue . I will stop using this product to see if my eyes will go back to how it was before. I will be letting my eye doctor know this product has caused my these eye condition issues for me.

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    Effectiveness
    Rated 1 out of 5
    Ease of Use
    Rated 4 out of 5
    Value
    Rated 1 out of 5
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    DryEyeShop

    Hi C.N.,

    I am so very sorry to hear that! I assume you have stopped using it.

    Please call your doctor's office immediately and let them know what's going on. It could be a reaction to an ingredient in the product (which may indicate reporting to the manufacturer and the FDA), or it could be a new condition that needs attention - the discharge you describe, for example, is not necessarily a dry eye symptom.

    Regarding the dry eye diagnosis: I'm going to suggest you check out dryeyezone.com and read up on dry eye at other sources if you haven't already. It sounds like more information about dry eye would be a good thing. It's not uncommon to have dry eye that shows up in clinical testing but where you are not aware of the symptoms, but if dry eye disease of some kind is present it really is important to get a thorough (detailed) diagnosis and treatment. Don't hesitate to ask as many questions as possible to understand what exactly is wrong.

    Kind regards
    Rebecca

    Reviewed by Debra H., from United States
    Verified Buyer
    I recommend this product
    Age Range
    61 - 70
    Gender
    Female
    Use scleral lenses or PROSE
    No
    Eye Condition(s)
    • Other
    Rated 5 out of 5
    Review posted

    great

    this works well and is easy to use. Your delivery system is excellent

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    Rated 5 out of 5
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    Reviewed by Anastasia S., from United States
    Verified Reviewer
    I don't recommend this product
    Age Range
    31 - 40
    Gender
    Female
    Use scleral lenses or PROSE
    No
    Eye Condition(s)
    • Dry eye disease
    • Blepharitis/MGD
    Rated 1 out of 5
    Review posted

    Contains Phenoxyethanol

    While my eyes tolerated this gel, it was unfortunately I learned after weeks of using it contains Phenoxyethanol. It literally kills cells leading to meibomian glands death. The last thing you want to use in your eyelids but common preservative touted as being better. Even in smaller concentrations than recommends for humans it cause death of cells within 30mins of exposure. Study: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32387382/

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    Rated 1 out of 5
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    Rated 3 out of 5
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    Rated 1 out of 5
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    DryEyeShop

    Hi there,

    We reached out to the manufacturer, Dr. Peter Pham at Zocular, and here is what he had to say.

    "Thank you for reaching out to us about your concern after reading the study (https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32387382/). The is also a similar study on tea tree oil (https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32947397/), which has caused quite a bit discomfort among those who use tea tree oil .

    It is indeed scary and worrisome for anyone who struggles with dry eye to read studies that use cells similar to those found in our own eyes. But I hope with some context and clarification, it'll be easier to understand how to accurately interpret cell culture studies.

    There are two important issues that need to be addressed with regards to the meibomian gland cell culture studies. The first is the use of cell cultures and the second is the study design. As we know, cell cultures are a very poor approximation of complex biologic systems and is generally used to study cell signaling and cascades. Mammalian cell cultures require a constant and intricate mix of growth media as well as temperature and humidity control in order to survive. Vary any of these important parameters, and the cell culture will die even before any experiment begins. In contrast, most bacterial and fungal, especially the common ones like Staph aureus or Candida albicans, are much less susceptible to environmental changes, which helps to explain their pathogenic potential.

    With regards to the study design, the meibomian gland cell culture study is actually a variation of a well known study that's used on a daily basis in laboratories throughout the world to assess for the effectiveness of preservatives. This test is called the "Preservative Efficacy Test", or PET. A PET is used to answer a very simple question - is a preservative able to extinguish the growth of common bacterial and fungal organisms? If a preservative is unable to stop microbial growth, then its obviously unsafe to use since no one would want a product contaminated with fungi and/or bacteria. This means that all preservative are toxic in nature when tested in vitro using cell cultures. And there is no such thing as "safe" preservatives. The "safe" preservatives that allow continued growth of microbial or mammalian cell cultures are actually the most unsafe preservatives, since they would fail the PET.

    Knowing that mammalian cell cultures much more fragile than microbial ones and knowing that the cell culture study is actually a Preservative Efficacy Test, the correct interpretation of the preservative and tea tree oil studies using meibomian gland cells is that both tea tree oil and phenoxyethanol are effective preservatives, which has been well known for decades. The meibomian gland cell culture study also used serial dilution of the preservatives to show that the meibomian gland cells were able to survive at lower preservative concentration, suggesting that this may be the safe or safer concentration. A PET will often employ serial dilution to ascertain the preservative concentration at which the microbes grow, since the would be the UNSAFE concentration to use. One cannot conclude from the study that any of the tested ingredients (methylparaben, ethylparaben, phenoxyethanol, chlorphenesin) is toxic to human tissue since PET cannot answer this important question. A PET can only tell us if a preservative is effective, and the meibomian gland cell culture studies are really just preservative efficacy tests that used the wrong cell culture, resulting in an emotional rather than a clinical interpretation of the results. If the study had the headline "Phenoxyethanol eradicates the growth of Staph aureaus", we would thrilled and reassured. But change the headline to "Phenoxyethanol eradicates the growth of meibomian gland cells", our emotions hold sway.

    We chose phenoxyethanol because its effectiveness and safety have been demonstrated over decades (see attachment). There's a lot of confusion and misunderstanding regarding preservatives, even among medical professionals, because we all want products that work but have little to no side effects. While this is true for some products for some people, it is not true for all products for everyone. And if a product is working well for you, there's no need to make changes unless things change."

    Reviewed by Dru R., from United States
    Verified Buyer
    I recommend this product
    Age Range
    71 - 80
    Gender
    Female
    Use scleral lenses or PROSE
    Not anymore
    Eye Condition(s)
    • Dry eye disease
    • Aqueous deficient dry eye
    • Evaporative dry eye
    • Blepharitis/MGD
    • Ocular allergy
    Systemic diseases/conditions related to eye issues
    • Other
    Rated 4 out of 5
    Review posted

    May be developing a sensitivity to it.

    This product definitely helped for the first several weeks. However, I think I'm developing a sensitivity to it, although I'm continuing to use it because I can't find a workable eyelid moisturizer. Please don't let this deter you from trying it, because Every. Single. Product. I have tried with my eyes has resulted in my eventually having to discontinue it, and believe me I've tried a lot. My dermatologist told me that I needed to keep my eyelid margins moisturized, and this advice has help more than any advice or medication I've received from an eye doctor to help correct the burning, stinging, gritty, I-just-want-to-close-my-eyes forever, symptoms I've experienced with my eyes.

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    Effectiveness
    Rated 3 out of 5
    Ease of Use
    Rated 3 out of 5
    Value
    Rated 2 out of 5
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    DryEyeShop

    So sorry to hear that! I wonder if it could possibly be the preservative? (It's Phenoxyethanol.)

    Reviewed by Dru E., from United States
    Verified Buyer
    I recommend this product
    Age Range
    71 - 80
    Gender
    Female
    Use scleral lenses or PROSE
    Not anymore
    Eye Condition(s)
    • Dry eye disease
    • Aqueous deficient dry eye
    • Blepharitis/MGD
    • Ocular allergy
    • Glaucoma
    Rated 4 out of 5
    Review posted

    Please see my review of Zocular Cleanser and Moisturizer

    In a previous review I described my experience with ZocuShield and Zocular Wipes. Please refer to that review. To summarize, the Zocular products appear to have been a great help to me with my dry eyes, rosacea, and blepharitis. I've only been using them two months, and will be able to draw final conclusions after at least two more months of use.

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    Effectiveness
    Rated 4 out of 5
    Ease of Use
    Rated 4 out of 5
    Value
    Rated 4 out of 5
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