What is dry eye and what causes it?

Like the name suggests – dry eye is a condition where the eye does not produce sufficient quality tears. This causes a lack of hydration and lubrication for the corneal surface of the eye, often resulting in irritation and at times blurry vision.

There are two major types of dry eyes:

• Too few tears: Tear production diminishes with age, medical conditions, or as side effects of certain medicines.
•  Poor quality tears: Tears consist of oil, water, and mucus. Each component has a different role: oil prevents evaporation of the water layer; mucus helps spread tears evenly, and water helps protect and nourish the eye. The most common form of dry eyes occurs with an inadequate water layer of tears¹.This causes tears to evaporate too quickly from the surface.

Dry eyes can be caused by environmental conditions such as wind, dry climate, air conditioning, heating, long distance travel or even excessive use of screens like TV, phones and computers. Certain medications like antihistamines, natural ageing, and menopause also can cause eye dryness². Wearing contact lenses for long periods also causes dry eyes.

Choosing the right eye drops for dry eyes

Upon realising that your dry or itchy eyes require hydration, you head down to your local pharmacist or online shop to look for something that could help. There you are likely to find yourself overwhelmed with the sheer number and types of eye drops available.

 To help navigate that potentially tricky situation, here’s an Eye Drops 101 guide:

FUNCTION: Many over-the-counter eye drops help replenish and lubricate the corneal surface by mimicking the effect of tears and are known as artificial tears.

INGREDIENTS: Active ingredients may vary; common ones include hyaluronic acid, hypromellose, sodium, dexpanthenol, or carbomer. It is also important to know that for many ingredients like hyaluronic acid, there are vast differences in quality and price. More expensive drops typically contain a higher quality active ingredient which results in a more soothing experience.

PRESERVATIVES: Some eye drops are available without preservatives; these are great if you use drops several times a day or are sensitive to preservatives. However, they also tend to be more expensive and have a more limited shelf life to avoid contamination.

CONSISTENCY: Eye drops also come with different levels of viscosity or thickness, from very liquid water-like drops to gels. Depending on the severity of dryness and your individual preference one may be more comfortable for you. As a general rule, the thicker the liquid the longer it will provide relief.

CONTACT LENSES: Not all eye drops can be used with contact lenses. Some eye drops require lenses to be removed; some are suitable only with hard contact lenses, while some are suitable for all contact lenses.

BOTTLE TYPES: Eye drops are also available in different formats – single dose, detachable units or multi-dose bottles. Certain bottles also come with special bottle caps that prevent contamination by preventing inward flow of external elements.

Eye drops manufactured in Europe

Ophthalmological products like eye drops must be manufactured in sterile and well-controlled facilities. AGEPHA Pharma manufactures all products with care and our five ophthalmological products for dry eyes – gels and eye drops – are all made in Europe.

Find an AGEPHA product for your dry eyes:

	Siccasan	Siccaforte	Viscosan	iGel	Ocusan
Consistency	Eye gel	Eye gel	Eye drops	Thicker eye drops	Eye drops
Key Ingredient	Dexpanthenol and Carbomer	Carbomer	Hypromellose	Hyaluronic acid	Hyaluronic acid
Bottle type	Multi-dose Tube	Multi-dose Tube	Classic Multi-dose dropper	Multi-dose filter dropper	Single unit doses
With Preservatives	Yes	Yes	Yes	No preservatives	No preservatives
Contact Lens Suitability	Suitable for hard lenses	Suitable for hard lenses	Suitable for hard lenses	Suitable for all lenses	Suitable for all lenses

Sources:

1. American Optometric Association
2. WebMD

What is dry eye and what causes it?

Like the name suggests – dry eye is a condition where the eye does not produce sufficient quality tears. This causes a lack of hydration and lubrication for the corneal surface of the eye, often resulting in irritation and at times blurry vision.

There are two major types of dry eyes:

• Too few tears: Tear production diminishes with age, medical conditions, or as side effects of certain medicines.
•  Poor quality tears: Tears consist of oil, water, and mucus. Each component has a different role: oil prevents evaporation of the water layer; mucus helps spread tears evenly, and water helps protect and nourish the eye. The most common form of dry eyes occurs with an inadequate water layer of tears¹.This causes tears to evaporate too quickly from the surface.

Dry eyes can be caused by environmental conditions such as wind, dry climate, air conditioning, heating, long distance travel or even excessive use of screens like TV, phones and computers. Certain medications like antihistamines, natural ageing, and menopause also can cause eye dryness². Wearing contact lenses for long periods also causes dry eyes.

Choosing the right eye drops for dry eyes

Upon realising that your dry or itchy eyes require hydration, you head down to your local pharmacist or online shop to look for something that could help. There you are likely to find yourself overwhelmed with the sheer number and types of eye drops available.

 To help navigate that potentially tricky situation, here’s an Eye Drops 101 guide:

FUNCTION: Many over-the-counter eye drops help replenish and lubricate the corneal surface by mimicking the effect of tears and are known as artificial tears.

INGREDIENTS: Active ingredients may vary; common ones include hyaluronic acid, hypromellose, sodium, dexpanthenol, or carbomer. It is also important to know that for many ingredients like hyaluronic acid, there are vast differences in quality and price. More expensive drops typically contain a higher quality active ingredient which results in a more soothing experience.

PRESERVATIVES: Some eye drops are available without preservatives; these are great if you use drops several times a day or are sensitive to preservatives. However, they also tend to be more expensive and have a more limited shelf life to avoid contamination.

CONSISTENCY: Eye drops also come with different levels of viscosity or thickness, from very liquid water-like drops to gels. Depending on the severity of dryness and your individual preference one may be more comfortable for you. As a general rule, the thicker the liquid the longer it will provide relief.

CONTACT LENSES: Not all eye drops can be used with contact lenses. Some eye drops require lenses to be removed; some are suitable only with hard contact lenses, while some are suitable for all contact lenses.

BOTTLE TYPES: Eye drops are also available in different formats – single dose, detachable units or multi-dose bottles. Certain bottles also come with special bottle caps that prevent contamination by preventing inward flow of external elements.

Eye drops manufactured in Europe

Ophthalmological products like eye drops must be manufactured in sterile and well-controlled facilities. AGEPHA Pharma manufactures all products with care and our five ophthalmological products for dry eyes – gels and eye drops – are all made in Europe.

Find an AGEPHA product for your dry eyes:

	Siccasan	Siccaforte	Viscosan	iGel	Ocusan
Consistency	Eye gel	Eye gel	Eye drops	Thicker eye drops	Eye drops
Key Ingredient	Dexpanthenol and Carbomer	Carbomer	Hypromellose	Hyaluronic acid	Hyaluronic acid
Bottle type	Multi-dose Tube	Multi-dose Tube	Classic Multi-dose dropper	Multi-dose filter dropper	Single unit doses
With Preservatives	Yes	Yes	Yes	No preservatives	No preservatives
Contact Lens Suitability	Suitable for hard lenses	Suitable for hard lenses	Suitable for hard lenses	Suitable for all lenses	Suitable for all lenses

Sources:

1. American Optometric Association
2. WebMD