If you have dry, irritated eyes, you might head over to the drugstore to pick up some eye drops. Just a quick trip, you think, until you find yourself standing before endless shelves of options. With all the different types out there, does it matter which you choose?
Yes, it definitely does. You use different types of drops to
treat different problems, like allergies vs. dry eyes. And the wrong ones may
make your symptoms worse.
For the
most part, there are three main types of eye drops:
Artificial tears
Allergy drops
Anti-redness drops
Some eye drops might do a combination of things, but if you
understand these basic types, you'll know how to choose wisely.
You might also notice some natural, homeopathic, or herbal
eye drops. Generally, there's just not a lot of evidence about how well these
really work.
Artificial
Tears
When to use them. Artificial tears are your go-to drops for
dry eyes. Their main job is to keep the surface of your eyes nice and moist.
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What's in them. They try to mimic real tears, but it turns
out, that's pretty complicated. So various brands use different mixes of
ingredients, such as:
Lubricants to keep your eyes moist (all artificial tears will
have some)
Electrolytes, like sodium and potassium, which can help heal
the surface of your eye
Guar gum, found in more oily drops. It can be a big help if
you get dry eyes because your tears dry up quickly.
Preservatives to keep bacteria from growing in the bottle of
drops
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