Choosing an over the counter eye drop for dry eyes
Author: Michelle Tam RPh BScPhm
Dry eyes affect approximately 6.3 million Canadians (about 21% of our population). Artificial
tears are most often used to relieve symptoms of dry eyes. How do we choose the most
appropriate one?
Common symptoms of dry eyes:
- Teary eyes
- Gritty eyes
- Eye fatigue
- Sensitivity to light, wind or smoke
Causes of dry eyes:
- Age - more common in people aged 55 and above
- Gender - more prevalent in females due to hormonal
changes
- Medications - some acne medications, blood pressure medications, antidepressants,
Parkinson's medications, sleeping pills, allergy medications, birth control and
hormone replacements
- Too much screen time (smartphones, computers, tablets, tv)
- Some medical conditions like Sjogren's Syndrome, rheumatoid arthritis or Vitamin A
deficiency
- Contact lens use
Treatment
First, your optometrist or ophthalmologist would need to perform a thorough eye exam to
determine the cause of your dry eyes.
If it is medication related, your doctor might be able to adjust the dosage of the medication to
lessen the effect or prescribe alternate medications that do not cause dry eyes. If treating
the cause with lifestyle or medication modifications cannot stop the problem or is not
possible, over the counter eye drops can be used to relieve symptoms of dry eyes.
There are three types of dry eyes:
1) Aqueous deficient dry eyes - your eyes are not producing enough tears. Hydrating
drops like Systane Ultra, Hylo or Tears Naturale can be used.
2) Evaporative dry eyes - if glands in your eyes do not produce enough oil to prevent
tears from evaporating.
Products like Systane Balance or Liposic can be used to stabilize and restore the
lipid layer in your eyes to prevent tear loss. Calmo eye spray can be applied to the
closed eyelids for this purpose as well.
3) Mixed dry eyes - a combination of both forms. Try Systane Complete, Hylo Dual or
HydraSense Advanced.
Other deciding factors:
1) Contact lens compatibility - requires unit dosed or preservative-free drops.
2) Drops or gel - gel is often for overnight use to relieve severe dry eye symptoms as its
effects last longer than drops.
3) Cost - Products vary in price, ranging between below $10 to $50 per bottle. What is
the difference?
Products made with new technology that deliver nano-sized droplets (Systems
Complete) minimize wastage and can last longer than same size traditional dropper bottles.
Traditional dropper bottles with preservatives need to be discarded 30 days after opening.
Newer preservative-free products can be used for 3 to 6 months, some up to 12 months after
first use, due to special design of their bottles. Some use separate compartments to prevent
drops flow back while others use an airless valve pump (Hylo) to keep the bottle sterile.
Preservatives often limit the amount of drops that can be given in a day due to fear of
accumulation in our eyes. Some can cause harmful effects and destroy our natural tear film.
If you have to use your drops more often than recommended by the manufacturer, it is best
to use preservative-free ones.
When all these factors have been put into perspective, the $50 bottle does not sound as
expensive as it looks after all.
References
1) http://www.drmikeng.com
2) https://candorvision.com
3) https://systane-ca.myalcon.com
4) https://hydrasense.ca
5) https://dryeyedirectory.com
