Finding the right eye drops is a long and rocky road for many afflicted people. Quite often, a lot of different eye lubricants have to be tried until the right products is found and the unpleasant symptoms, such as burning and reddened eyes, can be lastingly relieved.

In our interview, pharmacist Dorothea Groß has some valuable tips on how you can find the right preparation.

Mrs. Groß, what do you recommend to customers who come to you with dry eyes?

First of all, the most important thing is to find a products which the customers can tolerate very well, because they have to use it regularly. Treatment of dry eyes is a long-term therapy which should not put further strain on the eye.
 

What influences the tolerability of a products?

It should always be unpreserved, especially if it is used a lot. Preserving agents can cause further damage to the tear film as well as causing symptoms of irritation and allergies. Unfortunately, a lot of products still contain preservatives, such as benzalkonium chloride, polyhexanide, Purite® or Polyquad.

I also make sure that the products does not contain any phosphates. In cases where there is already damage on the surface of the eye and the products is used frequently, phosphates can form irreversible deposits which may need to be surgically removed.*

I have had very good experiences with physiological active ingredients, such as hyaluronan. For a large part, our eyes consist of hyaluronan. It is therefore very well-tolerated.


Are there different products with hyaluronan?

Yes, there are big differences in quality. The better the quality of hyaluronan, the higher the viscosity of a solution made with it.

You should also differentiate between the yield of the products. Even with the same volume of contents there can be an enormous difference in how far the drops will go. On the one hand, it depends on the size of the drop, on the other, the actual container has an influence on the volume extracted. The smaller the drops, the more of them you can get out of a bottle. With the COMOD^® system, it is at least 300 drops, whereby the size of each drop corresponds to the amount which an eye can take. This gives you very good cost-effectiveness.

Can wearers of contact lenses use products containing hyaluronan?

If tolerability with the lens material is assured, absolutely. They are ideal for reinforcing the tear film. The contact lenses stay in your eyes and are comfortably lubricated.