According to a recent study, people who spend more than 2 hours a day on digital devices are 2.5 times […]
Eye drops, also known as artificial tears, are a common treatment for dry eye symptoms.
Eye drops, also known as artificial tears, are a common, popular treatment for dry eye symptoms. They work by helping to keep the eyes lubricated and moist, thus alleviating the irritation often associated with dry eye.
Not all eye drops are the same, however. Ingredients can vary, and for some patients a specific type of eye drops is recommended.
Take the Dry Eye Quiz to find out if you suffer from dry eyes
Eye drops are useful as relief from symptoms of dry eye, such as dry or irritated-feeling eyes. Dry eye has a wide variety of causes, but eye drops tend to be most useful for milder cases, where the dry eye is caused by things like a dry climate, fatigue, over wearing contact lenses for an extended period.
Eye drops also often contain electrolytes, essential minerals like potassium, sodium, and calcium. Potassium and sodium in particular, being part of your natural tears, help lubricate the eyes and can help the eye surface.
Eye drops are an over-the-counter product meant to provide temporary relief from symptoms, and will not treat the underlying cause of your dry eye if there is one, such as meibomian gland dysfunction or blepharitis.
Many types of eye drops contain preservatives designed to protect the solution from bacteria that might grow once the bottle is opened.
Common preservatives in eye drop solutions include benzalkonium chloride, polyquad, ocupure, purite, and sodium perborate.
These are safe substances, and in most cases won’t cause any problems for the user. However, some people may experience irritation when using eye drops containing these preservatives, especially if they have severe dry eye. If you suffer from moderate to severe dry eye and have to use eye drops more than four times daily, you might be better served with a preservative-free option. Preservative-free eye drops will be labeled as such.
If you have evaporative dry eye, which is when there is a problem with the tear film as opposed to there simply not being enough tears in your eyes, lipid-based eye drops are a better choice, as it helps improve the quality of the tear film and keep the tears from evaporating too quickly. Types of ingredients in lipid-based eye drops include glycerin, hydroxypropyl-guar, mineral oil, and castor oil.
If your dry eye is aqueous-deficient dry eye, more standard eye drops should work fine.
Eye drops will not always be sufficient for alleviating your dry eye symptoms. In those cases, you can try other, stronger solutions, such as over the counter gels or ointments for dry eye. Since they are thicker than eye drops, their effects last longer, though they can make it a bit harder to see. For that reason, doctors often recommend using these products before going to bed.
Not all over-the-counter eye drops qualify as artificial tears. You should avoid using certain types of eye drops unless specifically recommended by a doctor.
Specific types of eye drops you should avoid include:
Allergy eye drops: These eye drops are designed for providing relief from allergy symptoms when the eyes are exposed to allergens like mold, dust, or pollen. These drops are not meant to provide relief from dry eye symptoms. Although, artificial tears can help with symptoms of eye allergies.
Antibiotic eye drops: Antibiotic eye drops are meant for treating eye infections and are generally prescription-only, and may not provide proper relief from dry eye.
Redness-relieving eye drops: These eye drops are only meant for treating temporary eye redness, such as that caused by allergies, smoke irritation, or contact lenses. If these drops are used too often, however, they can cause rebound redness, which makes the eyes look even redder than before. For this reason, doctors recommend only using these drops occasionally and for short periods. Eye drops which are preservative-free may be more helpful for reducing redness than regular use of redness-relieving drops.
Many people find that artificial tears help treat the dryness caused by regular wearing of contact lenses. Before you do so, however, there are a few things you should keep in mind.
First, make sure you can use the drops while wearing your contacts. In most cases it is safe to do so. However, some types, specifically the thicker formulations, will tell you to wait at least 15 minutes before inserting your contact lenses. Be sure to read the information on the product labels.
Rewetting drops are specifically designed to increase eye comfort while wearing contacts. They will be labeled “for contact lenses,” and are usually sold near contact lens cleaning solutions.
In all cases, talk to your doctor if you suspect a link between your contact lenses and dry eye. The material used in contact lenses can help with symptoms, and certain types of contacts, such as daily disposable lenses, can also be helpful
Eye drops are a commonly used treatment for dry eye, and can be effective at providing relief from symptoms. As with any other medical eye care issue, however, it is advised you speak with a doctor before you start using eye drops for your dry eye. If you have any additional questions or wish to schedule a consultation, you can contact Amplify EyeCare Chattanooga at (423) 710 3965. Patients with dry eyes visit our clinic from all over Tennessee, and we are proud to be a leading provider of dry eye care for patients from Hixson, Chattanooga, Cleveland, and Middle Valley.
Vision therapy is well worth the response, time and effort. Our Son had a hard time focusing and writing neatly. After vision therapy Seth could complete a task in half the time if previously took. His abilities to focus improved greatly and so did his handwriting.
Also, he was better at listening. As a parent, we wanted learning to be fun for our Son, and vision therapy made this possible.
Vision Therapy is well worth the expense, time and effort. Our son had a hard time focusing handwriting neatly. After vision therapy Seth could complete a task in half the time it previously took his abilities to focus and improved greatly and so did his handwriting.
Also, he was better at listening. As a parent you wanted learning to be fun for our son and vision therapy made this possible.
Vision Therapy has given or son the tools he needs to be able to scan and read the written word more effectively and efficiently.
He love working with John and these working sessions give him the motivation to gladly work on his homework assignments.
It amazed us to see the difference in the tracking of his eyes and along a line of it's from the beginning to the end of the treatment.
Dr. McBryar , Kristen and John are all marvelous and we would recommend them to anyone I only wish that we would have found them sooner!
Prior to coming to the institute for vision development my son complained of daily headaches. Therapy has eliminated his headaches completely. I love knowing my son is able to learn pain-free for the rest of his life because of the work that has been done over just a few weeks in this office. He he absolutely loved coming that didn't even feel like going to a doctor or therapy. We are grateful for the relief he was able to find by coming here.
Thank you!
Seems much less frustrated with life
Reads non-stop and fast
Spelling abilities have been hugely improved
Seems much more confident
Thank You!!!
When we first came to the practice, my son did not have huge issues, but lots of small ones- trouble with reading, sports (hitting the baseball consistently), coordination, etc- that were not easily detectable,but when put together presented issues. The staff here were all very professional and loving towards him. While I was concerned in the reading, my son was concerned with the athletic side. Seeing improvement night off the bat gave him confidence that i have nor seen in him and made him want to not only Come to therapy, but also made him want to work hard. He has surpassed his grade level and above in reading and hit his first home run this year! Thank you!!!
According to a recent study, people who spend more than 2 hours a day on digital devices are 2.5 times […]
Many people believe that good eyesight is simply the ability to read the "20/20" line on an eye chart, but […]
Corneal abrasions, or scratched corneas, are a common occurrence and make up a significant portion of eye injury cases. In […]
Monday - Tuesday
7:30AM - 5:15PM
Wednesday - Thursday
8:00AM - 5:15PM
Friday - Sunday
Closed