How to Choose the Best Eye Drops for Your Eyes
Are you overwhelmed by the number of eye drop choices available at the drugstore? Although you could randomly select a bottle of eye drops and hope for the best, you might accidentally pick the wrong type of drops for your symptoms. Keeping these things in mind will help you make the best choice.
Why Do You Need Eye Drops?
Do your eyes feel dry or itch or burn? You may have dry eye, a condition affecting about 20 million people in the U.S., according to the American Academy of Ophthalmology (AAO). A layer of tears constantly covers your eyes, lubricating the surface. If your tear film is inadequate, you may experience dry eye symptoms, which include dryness, redness, itching, burning, stringy mucus discharge, and occasional blurry vision.
Dry eye can happen if:
- Your eyes don't make enough tears
- Tears drain too fast from your eyes
- Your tears aren't high-quality
- You've been exposed to wind or smoke or spent time in a dry climate or environment
People over 65, women, and people who have diabetes, rheumatoid arthritis, and thyroid disease are more likely to develop dry eye, according to the American Optometric Association. Your risk of dry eye may also be higher if you use digital screens.
Do you have allergy symptoms, like sneezing, coughing, and congestion? Your itchy, red eyes could be related to your allergies.
What about your appearance? Do you want to use eye drops because your eyes are red?
Picking Eye Drops
When you shop for eye drops, take a quick look at the product's description, which is usually located below the product name. You'll probably see one of these descriptions:
- Lubricant/Lubricating. Lubricating eye drops, like artificial tears, are a good choice for dry eye symptoms. The drops offer temporary relief of symptoms and can be used throughout the day. Are your eyes uncomfortably dry during the night? Look for gel lubricating drops that remain on your eyes longer than liquid drops. Although these drops are better for nighttime use, they may make your vision look a little fuzzy when you first wake up.
- Antihistamine/Eye Allergy. Choose antihistamine/eye allergy drops if your symptoms are caused by allergies. These eye drops prevent the release of histamines, natural substances that cause itching, redness, and watery eyes.
- Redness Relief. Eye drops that reduce redness work by decreasing the size of blood vessels in the eye. Unfortunately, these drops can worsen redness if you use them too often. The AAO recommends avoiding eye drops that contain naphazoline and tetrahydrozoline for this reason.
- Rewetting Drops. Rewetting drops keep contact lenses moist and can be applied when you're wearing your lenses. Remove your contact lenses before using other types of eye drops, as some products can damage your lenses.
Not sure if preservative filled or preservative-free eye drops are best? Products with preservatives are a better option if you only use eye drops occasionally, as these products can be used for about a month after opening.
If you need extra lubrication every day and use eye drops more than four times a day, preservative-free drops might be a good option. These drops don't contain chemicals that could irritate your eyes. Single-use vials are thrown out immediately after you use them. Multi-use, preservative-free eye drops are safe to use for a few days, depending on the manufacturer's instructions. Using expired eye drops, whether they contain preservatives or are preservative-free, increases your risk of a bacterial eye infection.
Dry eye patients who switched to preservative-free eye drops in a research study published in Clinical Ophthalmology in 2018 had less severe dry eye symptoms after using the new drops. Ninety-four percent of the patients preferred the preservative-free drops.
Be sure to contact your eye doctor if eye drops don't improve your symptoms or you experience signs of infection, which may include pain, severe redness, blurred vision, discharge and watery eyes.
Are your eyes still uncomfortable despite using over-the-counter eye drops? Contact our office to schedule an appointment with the optometrist.
Sources:
American Academy of Ophthalmology: Dry Eye Disease, 8/1/2018
https://www.aao.org/eyenet/article/dry-eye-disease
American Academy of Ophthalmology: Choosing the Best Lubricant Eye Drops for Dry Eyes, 2/17/2024
https://www.aao.org/eye-health/tips-prevention/how-to-choose-lubricant-drops-dry-eyes
All About Vision: How to Find the Best Eye Drops for Your Symptoms, 2/27/2019
https://www.allaboutvision.com/buysmart/eye-drops.htm
AARP: 4 Types of Eye Drops and How to Use Them Safely, 2/18/2023
American Optometric Association: Dry Eye
https://www.aoa.org/healthy-eyes/eye-and-vision-conditions/dry-eye?sso=y
Dove Press: Clinical Ophthalmology: Real-Life Results of Switching from Preserved to Preservative-Free Artificial Tears Containing Hyaluronate in Patients with Dry Eye Disease, 8/23/2018