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If you feel that your eyes are drying up, there is nothing like using eye drops to provide you with some instant relief. Especially if you suffer from dry eyes, using over-the-counter or OTC eye drops can quickly help you out without having to get a prescription.
However, you still must be careful. While they can help in lubricating your eyes, there are still risks that come when you are using them. This is why as nice and helpful as these drops are, remember to not go overboard with using them.
Here are the risks of over-the-counter eye drops:
Contamination
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It is important for you to accurately use the eye drops for it to be effective. However, if you are not too careful, you might end up touching your eye with it. Apart from possibly physically injuring your eye, it is also possible for you to contaminate your eye drops. You see, once the tip of the bottle touches your eye or another surface, your eye drops can become contaminated.
That is why you must be careful when using eye drops. If it has touched another surface or made contact with your eye, you must replace the lid as soon as possible. You should also read the warnings and instructions on its label to avoid contamination.
Loose Safety Seals
OTC eye drops come with safety seals, but using them can become risky when these seals are loose. Some bottles have loose seals that can easily land on a person’s eyes when applying eye drops. So in hopes of it providing relief for his eyes, it might injure him instead.
For this, you must take notice of the type of bottle you are about to choose from. Usually, these safety seals must remain attached to the bottle. Look for a bottle that has a safety seal safely and firmly attached to it.
Preservatives
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If your eyes often suffer from irritation or dryness, then choosing eye drops with preservatives might be great for you or go to the nearest Ocular Urgency Walk-in Clinic to check your eyes. This is because the preservatives in the OTC eye drops prolong their shelf life, so you would not have to buy new ones so frequently.
However, with preservatives being included in its ingredients, these eye drops can irritate your eyes. If your eye drops contain preservatives, you must make sure to limit your usage and apply no more than four doses per day. With this, check the label of your eye drops to see if it has preservatives in it.
Preservative Vs. Preservative-Free OTC Eye Drops
Preservatives are used to extend the shelf life of eye drop products, as well as stop any bacteria from growing. However, these preservatives can also worsen eye irritation.
On the other hand, preservative-free eye drops come in the form of one-time use vials. This means if you applied one dose of eye drops, then you will have to dispose of it at once. If your dry eyes are severe and you need to apply eye drops more than four times per day, then this is for you. However, you would have to frequently purchase these drops, as they are not shelf-stable.
If something is irritating your eyes and you do not have access to running water, you might have to apply eye drops. As you can see, they can be quite a practical solution to your eyes’ needs. But they also come with risks, so do take caution when using them and do not apply them liberally. Websites like eyesonbridgwater.com and kleinoptical.com offer advice on eye care. However, it’s best to consult with an optometrist for
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