I’m skeptical of just about everything, so when my eye doctor told me that lubricating eye drops would help my dry eyes and computer-related pain and irritation, I was, of course, unsure whether they’d do any good.
I’m very pleased to report that eye drops for dry eyes help me every day — and they could be what you need too. But what’s the best brand? I’ve tried several brands and have surveyed some friends and family too — and I have some advice aimed at helping you get the relief you need.
The Best Lubricating Eye Drops
Blink Tears are the best eye drops I’ve found, and I’ve tried quite a few. My mother and friend have both tried Systane drops and found them to be adequate, but I like the way the Blink Tears product feels in my eye. I don’t know whether my dryness is caused more by spending too long at the computer or by my inherited tendency toward eye dryness, but Blink clears it up.
If dryness is causing you pain, irritation or discomfort, it’s time for gel drops.
The two primary benefits of gel lubricating eye drops are that they’re more effective than other kinds and that they last much longer than the liquidy ones. That means you may not have to reapply all day but can have relief that lasts until dinnertime or even bedtime.
The purpose of all lubricating eye drops is to restore the film of tears that your eyelid is supposed to spread around and replenish each time you blink. This product is a bit different from its competitors, however, because it adapts to your needs by thickening when the eye is open and needs protection and thinning when the eye is closed and the lid can do the job for you.
All gel drops can cause some blurriness when you first put them in your eye, so you may want to consider carefully when you use them. Putting them in immediately before driving is probably a bad idea; using them right before bed makes perfect sense. You’ll find that the Blink product line causes much less blurriness than other brands.
You may find that Blink Gel Tears cause too much blurriness at the time of insertion for immediate computer use. If that’s the case, use regular Blink Tears during working hours and switch to the gel product in the evenings or right before bed when seeing detail isn’t as important.
Final Thoughts
As I’m sure you know, dry eyes can be more than an annoyance. They can severely impact your ability to get things done. Fortunately, there are lubricating eye drops available to help restore what your working conditions or heredity has taken away from you. And when you use the right type of drops from the right maker, they can do the job very effectively.
A couple of years ago, I decided to get my chronic eye problems under control. Along with some computer reading glasses and a few changes to how I use my eyes — like taking more frequent breaks and exercising them a bit — I found relief and a new level of eye comfort from regular use of lubricating eye drops.
Could eye drops for dry eyes help you as much as they’ve helped me?
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