Eye drops – types. What to look for when choosing? [WE EXPLAIN]

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Eye drops are a wide range of preparations whose main task is to moisturize the eye mucosa. The safest are substances called artificial tears, but they are not the only preparations available on the market. How to choose the best eye drops? Which ones will be suitable for adults and which ones for children? We check what to look for when choosing.

Eye drops – types

Eye drops are used in the treatment of all kinds of eye diseases. The fluid flows into the conjunctival sac while tilting the lower eyelid. The treatment can be performed lying down, sitting or standing. Eye drops differ in composition as well as their purpose. For this reason, we can replace eye drops with antibiotics, eye drops for tired eyes, eye drops for children, dry eye drops or even eye drops for animals prescribed by a vet.

1. Find out more about eye disease

Eye drops – basic composition

The basic composition of eye drops consists of water and polymers, i.e. substances that trap water on the surface of the eye. The quality of eye drops depends on the polymers used in them. Hyaluronic acid is a very important component of eye drops, because it is also a natural component of the eye structure. Another method of moisturizing the eyes is the use of saline, but this procedure does not give long-term effects. Therefore, it should only be used on an ad hoc basis.

Eye drops are usually a composition of the following ingredients:

1. hyaluronic acid – as mentioned before, it is a natural component of the eye structure. It is an essential component of eye drops because it binds water and adheres perfectly to the surface of the eye. Hyaluronic acid moisturizes the eye and creates a protective layer on its surface;
2. skylight – is an additional ingredient that often enriches eye drops. The firefly herb extract has healing properties and soothes irritations and refreshes the eyes. 
3. heparin – a substance that exhibits moisturizing properties, soothes irritations and accelerates the regeneration of the conjunctiva and cornea;
4. ectoine – a substance that soothes inflammation in the eye, stabilizes the tear film and soothes itching and burning in the eye; 
5. vitamin A – is an ingredient that enriches the basic composition of eye drops. Vitamin A is essential for the proper functioning of the eye. It significantly relieves the symptoms of dry eye, and also accelerates the regeneration of the conjunctiva and cornea;
6. preservatives and phosphate buffers – preservatives extend the shelf life of the drops and prevent the growth and multiplication of bacteria in the preparation used. Most eye drops contain a preservative from the group of ammonium salts, such as polydronium chloride and benzalkonium chloride.

What should you know about eye diseases? Check: What do the eyes suffer from?

The tear film consists of three parts, namely: a fatty layer that prevents the evaporation of tears; the water layer, which is responsible for moisturizing and nourishing the eyes, and the mucin layer, which is responsible for adhering tears to the surface of the eye. Eye drops usually just moisturize the eye. However, there are drops on the market that turn into a gel when applied to the eye. This gel stays on the surface of the eye, giving it a long-lasting moisturizing effect.

At Medonet Market you can order Lakroft moisturizing eye drops now.

Read about over-the-counter eye drops: Hyabak – over-the-counter eye drops

People wearing contact lenses constitute a separate group, who should also use moisturizing preparations. The composition of the eye drops is also very important. In most of them, water is the basic element, as well as sodium hyaluronate, which is a component of human tears. When buying eye drops, it is also worth paying attention to the shelf life of the product from opening. Usually it does not exceed six months. After this time, we should buy new eye drops.

When choosing eye drops, it is worth focusing on the following criteria:

1. wearing contact lenses – if you do not wear contact lenses, you can basically choose any of the eye drops available. If you wear lenses, it is imperative to mention this to the pharmacist at the pharmacy. Ingredients in some eye drops, especially preservatives, make soft contact lenses cloudy;
2. use of eye medications or ointments – moisturizing eye drops have a coating effect on the eye, which can block the absorption of the medications used. When using the drug, it is necessary to find out in what order to apply individual preparations so that they can work effectively;
3. frequency of eye lubrication – if the eyes do not require frequent moisturizing and their instillation occurs sporadically, then it is best to get eye drops in a single-dose container. Such drops are usually called minims and have many advantages. First of all, they have a much better composition than reusable packaging, because there are no preservatives among the ingredients. The downside of minims is their price, because their purchase is more expensive than in the case of reusable packaging. If, on the other hand, eye drops are needed a little more often, it is worth buying a preparation with an expiry date of 3 to 6 months after opening the package. On the other hand, when using eye drops very often, e.g. several times a week, it is best to decide to buy a preparation, the validity of which after opening reaches up to 3 months. Additionally, if the drops are used so often, it is worth paying attention to their composition and choosing those that contain as little preservatives as possible;
4. price of eye drops – it is worth remembering that good eye drops, i.e. those with a long expiry date, without preservatives in the composition and in a handy package, are more expensive, but they are perfect for people wearing contact lenses or with sensitive eyes. For good quality drops, you should pay an average of about PLN 25-30 for 10 ml. With a smaller budget, it is better to choose a shorter shelf life and reach for a preparation with a qualitatively better composition.

Eye drops with antibiotic

Eye drops for eye diseases (e.g. conjunctivitis) contain antibiotics and sulfa drugs. They are available by prescription. They are prescribed by an ophthalmologist. There are specific rules set by a specialist when using antibiotic eye drops. The eyes can be instilled every hour. As with oral antibiotics, eye preparations should be used for longer periods (4-7 days). It is worth remembering that the treatment must not be interrupted. The improvement that is noted with the use of antibiotic drops results from the use of the so-called the loading dose. This means that at the beginning of the treatment, the eyes are covered with water even every hour, and then less frequently, e.g. every five hours.

An example of antibiotic eye drops is biodacin. Find out more about this preparation, read: Biodacin drops

Eye drops without preservatives

The best and safest eye drops should be preservative-free. Eye drops without preservatives are usually the so-called minims, i.e. disposables and preparations in packages equipped with sterilizing filters. You can also buy drops that contain vanishing preservatives in pharmacies. These preservatives dissolve on the surface of the eye, but still have a negative effect.

Preservatives also have a detrimental effect on the tear film. For example, ammonium salts act similarly to detergents, thereby destroying the outer fatty layer of the tear film. This leads to the drying out of the eyeball, which in turn worsens and aggravates the symptoms of dry eye syndrome.

Preservative-free eye drops are especially recommended for people who wear contact lenses on a daily basis. Ammonium salts can discolor and etch lenses, changing their physicochemical properties. This leads to the deterioration of vision due to changes in the optical parameters of the contact lenses. Eye drops with preservatives fall between the cornea and the contact lens, irritating the surface of the eye, increasing the feeling of discomfort, pain, burning and itching.

Drops for tired eyes

The main task of drops for tired eyes is to narrow the conjunctiva and prevent it from reddening. These preparations should not be used all the time as they can lead to serious diseases. In addition to over-the-counter drops for tired eyes, it is worth taking care of work hygiene (e.g. taking breaks while working in front of the monitor).

Eye drops for children

Children’s eye drops are bought for dry eye syndrome. Usually, this ailment affects little ones who live in cities, often stare at the display of an electronic device or stay in air-conditioned rooms. In the case of children, it is best to choose preparations without preservatives.

Eye drops and artificial tears

There are also so-called “Artificial tears” that contain the sodium hyaluronate mentioned above, which is a component of human tears. These eye drops are the safest. They do not cause irritation, on the contrary – they soothe tired eyes.

Dosage of eye drops

The correct dosage of eye drops is of great importance in the prevention of the ailment being treated. The conjunctival sac into which the drops are applied has a limited capacity, the maximum amount of which amounts to approximately 30 microliters of fluid. However, one drop of the drug delivered to the eye is about 40-70 microliters. Therefore, you should not apply more drops to the eye than indicated on the package leaflet of the given preparation. Most of the drops will either leak out or travel through the tear ducts into the nose or digestive tract. In many cases, this does not affect the health condition, however, when using highly effective drugs, the patient may experience unwanted side effects. This problem mainly affects people who struggle with bronchial asthma or hypertension.

The drops can be applied to the eyes standing, sitting or lying down. To perform this procedure correctly, you need to tilt the lower eyelid, drop the drops in and press your finger on the corner of the eye right next to the nose to block the flow of tears. After application, you can blink your eyelids several times, which will improve the absorption of the preparation. People who find it problematic to let the drops in while the eye is open can apply the product to the closed eyelid. A portion of the drops is then placed in the hollow near the nose, and when the eyelids are opened, the drops will flow into the eyes.

You can read more about proper eye instillation here: Eye drops – how to properly instill eyes?

Eye drops and preventing dryness of the eye

Eye drops are a preparation that in many cases is necessary to deal with a dry, burning or sore eye. However, it is worth paying attention to proper eye hygiene to prevent unpleasant ailments. In order to properly care for the hygiene and health of the eyes, it is worth paying attention to the following guidelines:

1. If you spend long hours in front of the monitor at work or at home, it is worth getting glasses. Even if you do not have a visual impairment, these may be so-called kindergartens. The lenses of the glasses block the blue radiation emitted by the screens and take the strain off your eyesight;
2. the eye will be much less dry if you take care of moisturizing the room in which you are working or resting. This especially applies to the winter period, when the heating additionally dries the ambient air;
3. in the case of people with visual impairments, it is necessary to check with an optometrist whether the glasses worn are perfectly suited to the defect;
4. during work, you should ensure the highest possible comfort, i.e. a good monitor, a comfortable armchair, lighting, and the right number and duration of breaks at work. 

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