Dry eye syndrome is a common eye condition in the United States, affecting about 16.8 million people. The condition's symptoms can significantly impact the quality of your life. 

Fortunately, you have multiple options to get relief from the symptoms, like LipiFlow® and tear duct plugs. However, eye drops are the most common source of relief for many patients with dry eye syndrome.

What to Consider Before Using Eye Drops

Eye drops are often the first option many dry eye patients explore to relieve symptoms of the condition. However, your dry eye will usually dictate the eye drops you need. You will usually need over-the-counter options if your dry eye is mild, but prescription eye drops are a better bet if it is severe.

Of all the options available, eye doctors unanimously agree that patients should avoid eye drops that promise to clear up eye redness. This option causes the blood vessels in your eyes to constrict, eliminating the redness but doing nothing for your dry eye. Additionally, these eye drops can cause rebound redness after regular use. 

Choosing Your Eye Drops

• Over-the-counter Eye Drops

If you have mild dry eye syndrome, you can get relief from over-the-counter eye drops. However, there are at least 35 different brands, so you need to identify the right one for your form of dry eye. 
 

• Lipid-based Moisturizing Eye Drops

Many eye doctors recommend these to most patients as their first line of defense. The eye drops reinforce the outer oily layer of the tear film tasked with slowing down tear evaporation. They also support the middle layer, the watery layer of the tear film, improving the overall function of your tears. 
 

• Lubricating Gels

If you have a more severe dry eye, lubricating gels or ointments may be the best option. These are thicker than regular eye drops and stay in your eyes much longer. They may blur your vision after application, so many people prefer to use them before sleeping. Eysuvis

Prescription Eye Drops

For people with moderate or severe dry eye, the best relief is the prescription eye drops that their eye doctors prescribe. There are only a few prescription eye drops on the market: Restasis®, CEQUA®, EYSUVIS®, Xiidra®, and Tyrvaya®.

For fast relief, eye doctors may recommend steroid eye drops, but they would not advise long-term use. Sometimes, eye doctors can prescribe biological eye drops to minimize inflammation. For severe dry eye, autologous serum eye drops could be developed from your own blood.  

Other Options

• Eye Drops With Preservatives

These eye drops often come with preservatives to prevent bacteria from growing after you open the bottles. While this is good, the preservatives can have adverse effects, irritating your eyes and aggravating the dry eye even more. 
 

• Preservative-free

These eye drops have fewer additives, making them an ideal choice. Doctors recommend using them four times during the day for moderate to severe dry eye. They often come in single-dose vials and are also called artificial tears.  

For more on choosing the right eye drops for dry eye symptoms, visit Insight Eyecare at our office in Las Vegas, Nevada. Call (702) 718-7163 to book an appointment today.