There is a lot to consider when it comes to choosing the best eye drops for your dry eyes. So what’s currently out there that I recommend?
In addition to treating patients with dry eyes, I also deal with some dry eye myself, but there are so many options for eye drops at the store, so how do you decide what is best for YOU?
Eye drops for dry eyes are not made the same, but rather, they are made to treat different types of dry eyes. There are 3 main forms of dry eyes:
- Aqueous Deficient dry eye
- Evaporative dry eye
- Mixed dry eye
Mixed dry eye is a combination of the first two forms of dry eye, and 80-90% of people with dry eye fall in to this category!
If you’re not getting eye drops formulated for your specific form of dry eye, they may not be helping! It’s a great idea to connect with your eye doctor to determine what form of dry eye your are suffering from.
Eye Drops for Mixed Dry Eye
My favorite eye drops, currently, for this form of dry eye are Systane Complete and Refresh Digital. If you aren’t sure which form of dry eye you suffer from, this may be a good starting point.
Eye Drops for Evaporative Forms of Dry Eye
My go-to choice of eye drops for evaporative dry eyes is Refresh Mega 3.
Eye Drops for Aqueous Deficient Dry Eye
For those suffering from Aqueous Deficient dry eye (sometimes due to Sjogren’s Syndrome or Lasik), Systane Hydration or Refresh Relieva may be the best choice for this form of dry eye.
When suffering from dry eye syndrome or having red irritated eyes, many people reach for lubricating eye drops. It’s easy to assume that all eye drops work the same, but in reality, finding the best eye drops for dry eyes can be a lot harder than you might think and there’s a lot more to consider when deciding which eye drops to use.
Preservatives vs Preservative Free Formulations
Many drops are preserved with BAK. This preservative can actually harm the eyes when used frequently. Which is why the drops I recomended above don’t contain this preservative. Many doctors encourage their patients to find eye drops that don’t contain preservatives. It’s important to keep an eye out for this preservative in generic forms of drops as well.
If you want to hear more about these eye drops and how they work, check out Dr. Allen in the video below. And don’t forget to check out the entire series on Dry Eye for more information about treatment options out there. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gn8Q-…
Disclaimer: This information is not meant for medical diagnosis or treatment. You should follow up with your local healthcare provider regarding all matters related to your health.