Artificial Tears

Many Artificial Tears products have instructions to remove contact lenses before using them. This is probably because of two reasons. For one, contacts might not allow the artificial tear drops to coat your eyes and work properly when they're still in your eyes. Second, many artificial tears contain preservatives (e.g., benzalkonium chloride) that can get absorbed by contact lenses and damage them. If you're having dry eye problems from your contact lenses, talk to your provider about rewetting eye drops that are specially made for use with contact lenses.

You might be able to use Artificial Tears after cataract surgery. But talk to your provider first, since they might recommend preservative-free eye drops or specific brands to use.

You can use Artificial Tears as needed for dry eye symptoms. But if you're using them more than 6 times per day, it's recommended to use preservative-free tears. This is because preservatives (chemicals that prevent bacteria from growing) can sometimes cause eye irritation and make your symptoms worse.

While Artificial Tears is used to add onto your naturally-produced tears to relieve eye dryness and irritation, you can overuse the eye drops. If you use the eye drops too much, they might end up washing away your eye's own natural tears. Most experts recommend to avoid using moistening eye products like Artificial Tears more than 4 times a day as needed.

Artificial Tears are generally safe to use for short periods of time. It's important to check the expiration date and don't use them after they've expired. Also, don't touch the tip of the dropper to your eyes, hands, or any surfaces to prevent contamination (spreading germs). Never share Artificial Tears with anyone else, since this could also spread germs and cause an infection. In addition, using Artificial Tears products that contain preservatives for a long time can cause eye irritation. If you find yourself using Artificial Tears very often or for a long period of time, talk to your provider about other ways to treat your dry eyes.

Artificial Tears can help relieve some symptoms of pink eye, such as dry eyes. Ask your provider if it's okay to use Artificial Tears if you or your child has pink eye. If you're using antibiotic or other eye drops, talk to your provider about how to space your treatments out so they work the best for you.

Different Artificial Tears products can have different active ingredients in them to help with dry eyes. Some of these active ingredients include polyvinyl alcohol and povidone, which help wet the eyes. In addition, there are several inactive ingredients in the eye drops that mimic the minerals found in your natural tears. Depending on the type of artificial tears you have, some contain preservatives that help the drops have a longer shelf life and can be used from the same bottle multiple times.