Lubricating eye drops are one of the most commonly recommended medications in my clinic. Whether you are undergoing surgery, have an inflammatory condition or an infection, or have dry eyes in general, lubricant drops will serve as your foundation to getting better.
As you can see above, they come in two forms - a non-preserved lubricant and a preserved lubricant.
The lubricant part of both medicines is the same. So when do you use one or the other? For the most part, I always recommend using the non-preserved lubricants. They are easier to carry with you throughout the day, which increases the chances that you will use the medicine. But most importantly, they don't have preservatives in them. These chemicals make the medicine last longer by keeping the bottle clean from contamination but, over time, can cause ocular irritation. Enough so that some patients won't continue using the medication.
The downside of the non-preserved lubricants is that you have to throw them away by the end of the day. Otherwise, they can get contaminated because they don't contain preservatives (a good thing). If you look closely, though, there is not much medication in each vial, so the chance you will use it all before the end of the day is very high.
You want a medication that is a lubricant and nothing else. Your eyes will thank you for this. Your choice should be a non-preserved lubricant.
There are a vast amount of drops available over the counter. I will place a link to non-preserved lubricants that I recommend but keep in mind that any non-preserved eye drop should suffice - even generics. It's also not uncommon to see that what works for one person may not always work for another. There may be some trial and error.
