What are the best eye drops for dry eyes

What are the best eye drops for dry eyes

Dry eyes are a common affliction, especially in older age and among women. They can also cause other eye health problems if left untreated for too long, so it’s important to seek treatment for dry eyes as soon as possible when symptoms persist.

There are a few different treatments available for dry eyes, some only recommended in very severe cases. However, the most common treatment for dry eyes is the use of eye drops. Many different types of eye drops are available in pharmacies without a prescription, but it’s hard to know which will best relieve your symptoms without simply buying them all and going through each one.

Let’s look at a few dry eye treatment options and find the best eye drops for dry eyes.

How to treat dry eyes?

Dry eyes cannot be cured, but they can be effectively treated. The most common and easiest way to treat dry eyes is with eye drops known as artificial tears. Dry eyes are caused by a lack of tear production, or failure to produce good-quality tears, so artificial tears replace the missing or poor-quality tears to help your eyes stay moist and clean.

If you have severely dry eyes due to another health condition or your age, eye drops may not work as well as they once did. In this case, an eye specialist may recommend a more invasive procedure to help relieve the symptoms of dry eyes, such as:

• Punctal plug insertion.
• Minor Salivary Gland Autotransplant.

A punctal plug is a small mechanism inserted next to the tear duct to prevent tears from being drained, one of the possible causes of dry eyes. For this to help, you may still need to use eye drops to lubricate your eyes; however, they will stay lubricated for longer.

A Minor Salivary Gland Autotransplant involves grafting a salivary gland from your mouth and inserting it into your tear duct to replicate the production of tears. Although an unusual procedure, it has been proven to be effective in severe cases of dry eyes. However, before any surgery is recommended, an eye specialist will advise you to use eye drops to help relieve your symptoms first.

What are the best eye drops for dry eyes?

Several different brands make eye drops that you can buy without a prescription in UK pharmacies, so it’s hard to know which is the best for you. While one website may recommend a variety of artificial tears, they may not be the best suited for your symptoms or cause of dry eyes.

Some popular brands of eye drops for dry eyes include:

• Hycosan Eye Drops.
• Biotrue Hydration Boost.
• Thealoz Dry Eye Drops.
• Blink GelTears Lubricating Dry Eye Drops.
• Optase Comfort Dry Eye Spray.
• Systane Complete PF.
• Refresh Relieva PF.

However, even looking at the list, it’s hard to differentiate brands, so the NHS recommends finding eye drops with the ingredient carmellose sodium to best treat dry eyes. Carmellose sodium helps to lubricate dry eyes and is available with and without preservatives, so even people with allergies can benefit from its use. Preservatives are added to keep the eye drops safe to use for longer, but you can buy single-dose eye drops, which are preservative-free.

Most people are safe to use carmellose sodium eye drops, as there are no side effects and they can be used multiple times a day, but don’t use them if you’re allergic to carmellose sodium and stop using them if you have any signs of an allergic reaction after use.

What eye drops should you use with contact lenses?

You can also use carmellose sodium if you use contact lenses, although you should check first if you need to remove the contact lens before using the eye drops. If you do, don’t put them back in for 15 minutes after using the drops.

If you use soft or hybrid contact lenses, you should use preservative-free eye drops for your comfort and the benefit of the contact lens.

How to use eye drops

You should use eye drops according to the packet directions and the guidance from your eye specialist to get the most out of them. However, when using any eye drop, you should:

• Wash and dry your hands first to ensure they’re clean when coming close to your eyes.
• Remove the top of the eye drop bottle.
• Tilt your head back and look up.
• Gently pull down your lower eyelid with the tip of your finger.
• Hold the dropper over your eye, being careful not to touch your eye with the end of the nozzle.
• Drop 1 drop into your eye so it catches in the open bottom eyelid.
• Close your eye and gently press on your tear duct (the corner nearest your nose) to prevent the liquid from draining out.

If you use more than one eye drop, wait at least 5 minutes after the first to apply the second to prevent washing it out of your eye. Repeat these steps as many times a day as recommended.

How many drops per day for dry eyes?

Your eye specialist will inform you of how many times a day you should use eye drops to treat your dry eyes, according to which eye drops they have recommended you use, although for most people, this is four times a day. You should feel some instant relief from your dry eyes; however, it may take several weeks before your eyes feel sufficiently lubricated. You shouldn’t stop using eye drops if they feel better unless your eye specialist has told you to do so.

Is there a natural remedy for dry eyes?

Natural remedies in place of medicine are very popular as they can often be cheaper, and it’s easier for non-medical people to understand the ingredients and effects on the body. However, if you have chronic dry eyes, you should use eye drops from pharmacies for the best results. Some people may recommend things like coconut oil and castor oil to drop into your eyes, but these have not been proven to be effective or safe for the treatment of dry eyes.

That said, you may be able to relieve your symptoms of dry eyes by making changes to your diet and lifestyle. Stepping away or at least looking away from your computer screen every 20 minutes can help reduce eye fatigue and dry eyes for those who work on computers for several hours a day and experience dry eyes, and wearing glasses or goggles when outside in strong or cold winds can help others prevent their eyes from drying and becoming irritated.

Dehydration is one major cause of dry eyes, so if you drink less than 1.5 litres of water a day, you should increase your water consumption to help keep your eyes sufficiently moist. Diabetes can sometimes inhibit your body’s water retention, causing people to feel very thirsty and remain dehydrated, so if you’re diabetic, you should maintain healthy blood sugar levels to prevent dehydration as well as reduce the risk of developing nerve damage, which can affect tear production and eye health.

Another way to naturally improve symptoms of dry eyes is by ensuring you’re getting enough vitamins in your diet.

Dry eyes and vitamin deficiency

Vitamin deficiency is another common cause of dry eyes that often goes unnoticed. Vitamin A deficiency is the main issue, although lacking vitamins B12 and D can also cause dry eyes, so you should make sure you’re getting all of your necessary vitamins in your diet if you’re experiencing dry eyes. If you cannot eat a balanced diet due to allergies or diet restrictions like veganism, you should take vitamin supplements.

Foods high in vitamin A include:

• Milk products like fresh milk, cheese and yoghurt.
• Oily fish like mackerel, salmon and sardines.
• Eggs.
• Liver and liver products such as liver pâté.

Your body can also produce vitamin A from beta-carotene, which can be found in:

• Spinach.
• Carrots.
• Sweet potatoes.
• Bell peppers.
• Yellow fruit, like apricots and mangoes.

Eye trouble? See the Eye and Dental Clinic

If you need to see an eye specialist for any kind of problem, from a chalazion to blepharitis or conjunctivitis, contact the team at Eye and Dental Clinic today! Or read our latest news for more information on your condition.

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