An ophthalmologist tells you how to use artificial tears correctly

When to use artificial tears

Artificial tears are the most commonly used eye drops for people with dry eyes. Not all dry eyes are effective.

Artificial tears are effective for people with weakened tear layers and those who need to treat the cornea, but those who have blepharitis or inflammation of the conjunctiva should use other treatments.

How to choose the right artificial tears for you

Artificial tears can be broadly divided into bottled ones with preservatives and individual tears without preservatives. Bottled artificial tears have preservatives inside because they need to be able to be used for a long time after opening, and disposable artificial tears are supposed to be discarded after being torn off once and then thrown away, so there are no preservatives inside. If you are a person who needs to use artificial tears more than four times a day for a long period of time, we recommend preservative-free artificial tears and disposable artificial tears because preservatives can irritate the conjunctiva and cornea and cause allergic reactions.

Also, artificial tears can be prescribed and obtained from an ophthalmologist or directly purchased at a pharmacy, but I would like to say that it is better to get a prescription from a hospital. First of all, there is a big difference in price. When you see a doctor, you get a diagnosis like dry eye or inflammation. Then, because you are covered by medical insurance, the cost of medicine is low.

However, the abuse of these artificial tears is also problematic. First, it creates dependence, and second, it's bad because the mucus and fat layer that is good for our eyes is washed away and disappears. Third, if dry eye syndrome occurs for other reasons, the diagnosis may be delayed and treatment may take a long time. The human cornea has three layers: mucus, water, and oil. Mucus is secreted from the conjunctiva, and oil is secreted from the meibomian glands at the edge of the eyelids. The oil layer envelops the moisture layer, preventing it from evaporating into the air. By the way, if you use artificial tears, The oil and mucus layer is cleaned, which is not good. Then, you will feel drier more often, so you will have to put artificial tears in more often. However, the tear layer that produces human tears comes from the tear glands in the upper eyelid, and if you keep supplying tears with artificial tears, they won't think about working. Also, due to natural aging, the tear glands that produce tears atrophy, so tears do not come out, but because he has not worked since he was younger, he atrophies earlier. It's a vicious cycle that causes the tear glands to age prematurely.