I have dry eye syndrome, and was put on Restasis. I honestly can't say if it helped, or if I'm just getting used to dry eyes. My eyes still get too irritated with contacts so I'm stuck with glasses :(
I did one round with Restasis, called it good enough, and now I just use store brand eye lubricant/artificial tears. I agree, prices are outrageous, but these seem to do the trick for me. The key for me is the artificial tears, not just "eye drops".