Dry eyes can happen for several reasons. It may be something temporary, like visiting a place with a dry climate or driving with your windows down on a beautiful day. Chronic causes like poor tear production can also lead to eye dryness.
It’s always best to have your symptoms examined by an eye doctor to determine a cause and treatment strategy. Usually, your eye doctor will recommend eye drops or artificial tears to alleviate your dry eye symptoms.
What Is Dry Eye Disease?
Dry eye disease (DED), also called dry eye syndrome, is a condition in which the eyes don’t produce enough tears or lack a certain type of tear. This lack of tear production leads to an imbalance in a person’s tear film.
Tears are made up of water, oil, and mucus. If one or more of these components is lacking, it can cause an imbalance in the tear film and affect the moisture levels of the eye’s surface.
DED can be aqueous tear-deficient or evaporative. Aqueous tear-deficient dry eye disease is characterized by a lack of water-based tears. Evaporative DED occurs when there aren’t enough oil-based tears produced. The oil layer of tears helps seal in the water-based tears. Without the oil, the water-based tears evaporate quickly from the eye’s surface.
Dry eye syndrome can be temporary or long-term (chronic) and may be caused by a mixture of aqueous and evaporative properties. An eye doctor can determine the type of DED you’re experiencing during an exam and prescribe eye drops, gels, or ointments to help.
What Eye Drops Are Good for Dry Eyes?
Like most things, eye drops aren’t a one-size-fits-all solution for dry eyes. While it’s possible to experience some level of relief from just any old drops, you should choose a kind that addresses your specific symptoms.
For example, if your eye dryness coincides with seasonal allergies, you may want to try allergy eye drops. Certain preferences or sensitivities to preservatives should also be considered when shopping for artificial tears and other types of drops. Discuss these details with your eye doctor to determine the best option for your eyes.
Types of Eye Drops for Dry Eyes
The formulas used in prescription and over–the–counter (OTC) eye drops vary to serve different purposes. Common types include:
Allergy Eye Drops
When exposed to an allergen like dust, pollen, or pet dander, immune cells (also called mast cells) release a chemical called histamine to attack the source of irritation.
While histamine is great for protecting your body from potentially harmful substances, it tends to overreact in response to allergens. This results in red, watery, and itchy eyes, along with other classic symptoms of an allergy attack.
Allergy eye drops contain antihistamines that stabilize the mast cells and block your body’s response to the allergens that lead to eye irritation. Keep in mind that other symptoms of an allergy attack — like runny nose, nasal congestion, and inflammation — will require other medication.
Lubricating Eye Drops & Artificial Tears
Artificial tears, also called lubricating eye drops, can help supplement the lacking tear film component. Some artificial tears address a lack of water-based tears, while others target a lack of oil-based tears. Depending on the cause of your dry eye symptoms, you may need more than one type of lubricating eye drops or artificial tears to get the best results.
Redness-Relieving Eye Drops
Eye redness can happen if your eyes are tired, dry, or irritated. Also called decongestion drops, redness-relieving drops have an ingredient that reduces swelling in the eye’s blood vessels. This constricting of the blood vessels reduces the look of eye redness.
The effects of redness-relieving drops are temporary. Once they wear off, redness often returns and may be worse than before — an effect called rebound redness.
If you want to address the redness in the white parts of your eyes (the sclera), you may want to try artificial tears first. Lubricating eye drops may soothe the eye irritation that’s causing the redness. Plus, they don’t carry the risk of rebound redness.
Other Factors to Consider
There’s no shortage of options when it comes to types and brands of artificial tears and other types of eye drops. For this reason, it’s important to put some thought into what you need from your drops before you purchase them. A few things to consider include:
- Whether you have a prescription or can buy eye drops over the counter
- What you believe is causing your dry eye symptoms
- Whether you wear contact lenses or glasses
- Any allergies or sensitivities you may have to certain ingredients in the eye drops
Types of Eye Drops for Dry Eye Symptoms and Triggers
Below are some of the best drops for dry eyes based on the potential cause of your symptoms:
Best Eye Drops for Dry Eyes Caused by Allergies
- Alaway Antihistamine Drops
- Pataday Once Daily Extra Strength Eye Allergy Itch Relief
Best Lubricating Eye Drops for Dry Eyes
- TheraTears Dry Eye Therapy Lubricating Drops for Dry Eyes
- Blink GelTears Lubricating Dry Eye Drops
Best Eye Drops for Dry Eyes If You Wear Contact Lenses
- Biotrue Hydration Boost
- Optase Comfort Dry Eye Spray
Prescription vs. Nonprescription
If you’re given a prescription for eye drops, you may not have much choice in what you get, outside of whether you want generic or name-brand. Over-the-counter drops give you the opportunity to shop around and find the best option for you.
Best OTC Eye Drops for Dry Eyes
- TheraTears Dry Eye Therapy Lubricating Drops for Dry Eyes
- Blink Triple Care Lubricant for Dry Eyes
- Refresh Plus Lubricant
Best Prescription Eye Drops for Dry Eyes
- Restasis (Cyclosporine)
- Xiidra (Lifitegrast)
Preservative vs. Preservative-Free Eye Drops
Artificial tears and other drops with preservatives contain chemicals that keep the product bacteria-free after it has been opened. While there’s nothing wrong with preservative drops, they aren’t recommended for long-term use. Some people experience irritation after they apply eye drops with preservatives.
Here are some options to consider with and without preservatives:
Best Preservative Eye Drops for Dry Eyes
- Refresh Tears Lubricant Drops
- Systane Long Lasting Lubricant Drops
Best Preservative-Free Eye Drops for Dry Eyes
- Systane COMPLETE PF Preservative Free Dry Eye Drops
- Refresh Optive Mega-3 Lubricant Drops Preservative-Free Tears
Gels vs. Ointments
The best eye drops for severe or extreme dry eye symptoms often have a thicker, gel-like substance. This can make your vision appear blurry after you apply the product, so they’re often recommended to use at bedtime.
A few favorites in the realm of eye gels and ointments are:
Best Eye Gels for Dry Eyes
- Systane Lubricant Eye Gel Drops
- GenTeal Lubricant Eye Gel
Best Eye Ointments for Dry Eyes
- Retaine PM Nighttime Lubricant Eye Ointment
- Refresh Lacri-Lube Lubricant Eye Ointment
When to See Your Doctor About Dry Eyes
Dry eyes aren’t just uncomfortable. If left untreated, severe dry eye can lead to problems with the surface of the eye (the cornea) and affect your vision. It’s important to discuss prolonged dry eye symptoms with your eye doctor so they can help you get relief.
Whether you experience eye dryness, blurry vision, or another problem affecting your eyes, an eye doctor can assess your symptoms and provide solutions to keep your eyes nourished and your vision clear.
