Visine and clear eyes are the two most popular eye drops that you can buy at almost any drug mart or convenience store. Their use as advertised is to get rid of that annoying eye itch, or get your eyes looking white as normal if they’re red and agitated.
What most people fail to recognize is how products that are decongestants for your eyes can end up doing more damage in the long run. Many eye doctors suggest to their patients to stop using these eye drops all together.
Eye Drops
Visine and Clear Eyes are decongestants. Redness in the eyes is caused by swollen or congested blood vessels. This can happen many ways, but the most common cause of blood vessel congestion is irritation. How these eye drops work to reduce the redness is by artificially constricting or closing the blood vessels. The active ingredient in Visine causes the vessel to actually shrink, letting less blood pass through, which immediately gets rid of the redness.
However, because Visine doesn’t last forever, once it is clear of your system, the blood vessels open up again, and this can cause rebound redness. Rebound redness can happen when the eye drops wear off and can make the original problem worse. If used over extended periods of time, rebound redness can become the permanent condition of the eye, completely reversing the intended effect of the eye drops.
Artificial Tears
Not all eye drops are bad. The better route is with artificial tears. These drops simply supplement the already natural occurring lubricant in your eyes, without any artificial constricting or opening. When using artificial tears you remove the risk of rebound redness by letting your body naturally do the work to get the itchiness or redness out.
On the same page, redness isn’t always caused by the same problem. Allergies, pet hair, physical dust particles, Dry Eye Syndrome, these are all different problems, so always visit your local eye doctor if you’re experiencing any pain or irritation before trying to self medicate or pick the eye drops that are right for you.
About Eyeconcept
Eyeconcept in Oakville offers eye care services such as eye exams, children eye exams & contact lens. Eyeconcept will also help you protect your vision and to put your best look forward with our designer frames and sunglasses.
Book your eye exam with our optometrist at Eyeconcept Oakville and visit us in store to find the perfect pair of prescription glasses or sunglasses.
