Eye lubricants

Using eye lubricants may not be suitable in some situations

If you have any of the following symptoms, or if you use contact lenses, check with your optometrist or pharmacist before using eye lubricants.

• Eye pain.
• You're very sensitive to light.
• Severe redness in 1 eye only.
• Difficulty with your vision.

If they're not suitable for you to use, eating more oily fish or taking a fish oil, flaxseed oil or other omega-3 fatty acid supplement may help dry eyes. Check with your healthcare provider before taking a fish oil supplement to make sure it’s safe for you.

Eye lubricants comes as eye drops or eye ointment. The choice of eye lubricant will depend on the cause and severity of your symptoms, whether you wear contact lenses and other factors.

There are many eye lubricants available with various ingredients such as carbomer, carmellose, dextran, polyvinyl alcohol, glycerin, hypromellose, polyvinyl alcohol, povidone, or macrogol and propylene glycol. For a full list, check the back of the package. 

There are also compresses available to clean eyelids that are inflamed in a condition called blepharitis. This can relieve your dry eyes by improving the protective tear layer.

Eye drops

Eye drops are more commonly used than eye ointments. Eye drops are formulated to be a certain viscosity (thickness) which affects how long they stay in your eye.

• Some eye drops are thin (like water) and don't stay in your eye for very long. They are used for mild symptoms and are only used when symptoms occur.
• Other eye drops are thicker and stay in your eye for longer. These are usually used for moderate to severe symptoms and are used regularly a few times a day.

Eye drops also differ in how long they last once they've been opened. Some eye drops contain a preservative – they come in small bottles that can be used for up to 1 month after opening. Other eye drops don't have a preservative – they come as single doses that can only be used once and must be thrown after use.

In most cases, using eye drops with preservatives are suitable because the multi-dose container is more convenient. But sometimes a preservative-free eye drop is recommended. For example if:

• you have a reaction to the preservative, such as worsening stinging, burning and red eyes after using the eye drops
• you need to use eye drops more than 4 times a day
• you're using other eye drops that already have a preservative
• you use certain types of contact lens.

Preservatives in large quantities, after long term use (months or years), may damage the delicate cells on the surface of the eye, or cause inflammation to the eye. Read more about how to apply eye drops.

Eye ointment

Eye ointments are thicker than eye drops. They reduce evaporation of tears by coating the cornea on the surface of your eye. They are best used at night time before bed, as they can cause blurred vision by coating the cornea. Read more about how to apply eye ointment.

• Don’t share your eye lubricants with anyone else.
• Driving: When you first put in the eye lubricant it may cause blurred vision. Depending on how thick the lubricant it, this may quickly clear. Make sure you can see clearly again before you drive, or before you use tools or machines.
• Storage: Keep your eye lubricant somewhere cool and dry, out of direct heat and light. Don’t put eye lubricants in the fridge unless advised to by your healthcare provider.
• Once you’ve taken the cap off, take care not to let the tip of the dropper bottle touch your eyes, eyelids or any surface. This could let germs get into the rest of the medicine.
• Contact lenses:
  • Always check with your optometrist or pharmacist if the eye lubricant you're using is safe to use with your contact lenses.
  • If you’ve been advised by your healthcare provider to remove contact lenses before applying eye lubricants, wait at least 30 minutes afterwards before putting your contacts back in.
• If you have other medicated eye drops you use regularly, use these first and then wait 5 or 10 minutes before you use your eye lubricant.
• Once you open an eye lubricant, always check the expiry date from the day of opening. It can help if you write the date you opened it on the box. Some should be thrown away immediately, or 1 month or 3 months after opening. If you're unsure, ask your pharmacist. 
• If you don’t notice any improvement within a few days, talk to your healthcare provider.
• Side effects: Read more about medicines and side effects and reporting a reaction you think might be a side effect.