Imagine this. You’ve been feeling some dry eyes lately so you casually stroll to your local pharmacy and head towards the eye drop aisle thinking it would be fairly easy to choose something for your eyes. Instead, you get confronted by never ending rows of different eye drops and ointments available. The million dollar question is “which eyedrops work best for me?”
Eye drops are the solution (see what I did there?) to a number of eye problems such as dryness, itchy, discharge or painful red eyes.
When should I see the optometrist?
There are some symptoms that are indicative of more severe eye conditions such as sudden blur, pain, redness, discharge and light sensitivity. Milder symptoms include dryness, irritation and itchiness.
It’s best to consult your optometrist once the issues present so they can help prescribe you the best eye drops to help relieve your symptoms to make sure you heal and not prolong your eye problem further.
Drops, gel and ointment – What is the difference?
The difference between these types are fairly straightforward. They increase in viscosity (thickness) as we move from eye drop products to eye gel and then finally to eye ointment.
The thicker the product, the longer it stays on the eyes and hence, you won’t have to apply it as much during the day. The disadvantage of higher viscosity is that it temporarily blurs your vision because of how thick the ointment is. It’s like opening your eyes under water without your goggles! To get around this, most people apply them right before going to sleep. These are typically recommended for moderate to severe signs and symptoms.
If your eye symptoms are milder in nature, regular eye drops are more suitable. Even though it might be slightly more inconvenient to instill 3-4 times a day, it won’t blur out your vision and interfere with your day.
Over the counter VS. Prescription eye drops
Eye solutions are separated into two categories: over the counter (non-prescription) and prescription.
Your optometrist may recommend non-prescription eye drops for you because they are usually cheaper and can still manage to treat your milder symptoms. These are easily accessible at the pharmacy, however it is usually good practice to ask your optometrist for help in choosing the right one for you.
If symptoms persist, require ongoing care or are moderate to severe in nature, your optometrist may consider therapeutic eye drops which fall into the prescription category. These cases require vigilant care and close monitoring so be sure to follow your optometrists’ recommended guidelines.
Dry Eyes
Dry eyes occur when the tear film that sits on the outer surface of the eyes evaporate too quickly and is not getting replenished properly. Dry eyes are very common especially in recent times with increased digital usage. Other conditions that exacerbate symptoms include air conditioning (in the car, home or office), lack of sleep and windy and sunny environments.
Symptoms of dry eyes can be described as scratchy and sandy sensations or ironically, excessive watering. This is because the eyes can respond to the evaporation of the tear film in two ways: it tries to recreate the oils of the tear film again or produces more tears to replace what was lost.
If left unattended, the symptoms can become persistent, distracting and uncomfortable and lead to other problems such as redness and intermittent blur.
Lubricating eye drops or artificial tears provide relief of dry eye symptoms by mimicking the tear film and helping the eyes replenish a more stable tear film and can be obtained easily over the counter. Most of them are suitable for contact lens as well, so be mindful to read the labels to see which is most appropriate for your circumstances.
If the dry eyes continue to bother you, it is best to consult your optometrist to diagnose the source of your dryness and recommend you the right products.
Allergies
Allergic reactions can affect different parts of the entire body; the eyes are no exception. Hay fever or getting a reaction to eye makeup products are some examples of causes of eye allergies. Symptoms usually involve itchy, puffy and watery eyes.
Oral antihistamines help reduce overall allergic reactions by reducing the level of histamines that responded to external allergens. However for a more immediate effect, antihistamines eye drops are available and are designed the same way as the tablets but formulated for the eyes.
That way, you can have quick relief from the itchy and puffy eyes.
For severe cases of allergic eyes, prescription eye drops may be required. If you’ve tried all these options and your symptoms aren’t improving, it is a good idea to see your local optometrist.
Infections
Eye infections are usually associated with discharge, pain, blurry vision and redness in the eyes.
The most common type of infection is conjunctivitis; you might be familiar with the term “pink eye”. There are actually various different causes of “pink eye” and no, farting on your pillow is not one of them!
The two common types of conjunctivitis are:
- Bacterial conjunctivitis – This is usually associated with pus discharge, sore and red eyes. People sometimes wake up with their eyes stuck together. Antibiotic eye drops are used for treatment of this condition. For mild symptoms, a common antibiotic eye drop called Chlorsig can be purchased over the counter and applied 4-6 times a day. However for moderate to severe symptoms, prescription antibiotics is required.
- Viral conjunctivitis – This is very contagious and the recommendation is to be hygiene conscious and avoid eye fluid contact with hands to minimise spread of infection. Symptoms involve watery or mucous discharge, sore and red eyes. For mild cases, this usually heals on its own in approximately 2 weeks. Lubricating eye drops help reduce to the amount of viral load in the eyes and also improves comfort.
- Contact lens related infections – This is URGENT. If you are getting red eyes, pain or vision changes while or immediately after you were wearing contact lenses, it is vital that you see an optometrist ASAP and do not wait. Time is of the essence.
If you are presenting with any of these signs symptoms, it is best to consult your optometrist as soon as possible so that an accurate diagnosis and management is made. Misdiagnosis and delayed management of infections can lead to permanent vision loss.
Red Eyes
Red eyes are most likely related to any of the conditions mentioned above, hence it is recommended to find the cause of the redness and treat it directly. The red eyes usually goes away after the problem is resolved.
There are decongestant eye drops available at the chemist, which contains chemicals called vasoconstrictors. They shrink the diameter of blood vessels in the white part of the eye to provide a whitening effect. While they are effective in getting rid of redness, this is only a temporary solution. This is ideal in certain circumstances such as wedding photographs where you need that quick and instant whitening effect.
It is not recommended to use consistently because they can mask the underlying causes and also have a rebound effect. This is when the redness reappears as your eyes develop a tolerance to the drops requiring you to use more to have the same effect.
