Over-the-Counter Eye Drops: Everything you need to know.

Walking down the pharmacy aisle with all of the over-the-counter eye drop products can be overwhelming. Here are some important things to remember to determine the best over the counter eye drop products for your eyes.?

What do I need to know about over the counter eye drops for dry eye??

Dry eye is a very common condition that I see every day in my practice. Surprisingly, watering or tearing of the eye is one of the most common signs of dryness. Other signs of dryness are sharp pain in or around the eye that lasts for several seconds, blurry vision that comes and goes, irritation or feeling like something is in the eye, and feeling like the eye is just dry. It is very common for the eyes to appear red when they are dry. The best treatment for dryness starts with over the counter artificial tear drops. The drops should be instilled four times a day. If you require more frequent instillation of drops to manage your symptoms it is important to get a preservative free artificial tear eye drop as the preservative can irritate and dry the eye out more, especially if you use it more than five times a day. Preservative free artificial tear drops are also available over the counter. A preservative free artificial tear drop can be used as frequently as needed and will not cause worsening dryness. If over the counter artificial tears are not adequately managing the symptoms of dry eye there are prescription dry eye medications that your ophthalmologist can prescribe.???

What do I need to know about over the counter allergy eye drops??

Allergy eye drops are great for when you are experiencing an allergic reaction. An allergic reaction in the eyes will be associated with intense itching, redness, puffiness, and likely other systemic symptoms like sneezing or a runny nose. An antihistamine eye drop will significantly quiet down these symptoms. An oral antihistamine taken along with the eye drops is sometimes required. Allergy eye drops and oral antihistamines can actually worsen dry eye, so it is important to properly identify your symptoms before reaching for a treatment.?

What do I need to know about over the counter eye drops that promote whiter eyes??

Visine, Clear Eyes, and now Lumify, as well as other products promote making the eyes whiter and removing the redness. These products can brighten and whiten the eyes for the short term; however, the redness returns and is even more intense when these products wear off because they cause worsening dry eye. I recommend avoiding these products on a regular basis and focusing instead on lubrication with an artificial tear to help soothe the eyes and take away injections or redness over time. For special occasions it is okay to use these products, however, remember that when they wear off the eyes will appear more inflamed and red and they will likely feel irritated and dry.?

What do I need to know about the eye drops that have been recalled??

There have been multiple eye drop products that have been recalled over the last year due to contamination or improper storage. These products caused significant eye infections and even blindness. I recommend checking your OTC eye drop products that you have in your medicine cabinet to make sure you do not have any of these products. The FDA has a comprehensive list of eye drop products that have been recalled. If you notice worsening redness, pain, decreased vision, difficulty opening your eyes after using eye drops, or discharge from the eyes go and see an ophthalmologist immediately to evaluate the eyes for infection.?

Over the counter eye drops are wonderful to help soothe common problems of the eyes. A red eye can be due to many different things, and it is not always dryness or allergies. If you are having a persistent issue or not sure what the problem is, it is important to see an ophthalmologist to further evaluate your eyes to determine the underlying cause and provide the appropriate treatment plan.?

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