Should You Use Visine Eye Drops If You Have Dry Eyes?

Is it a good idea to use Visine if you have dry eyes? Visine eye drops sold at many pharmacies and drugstores promises to “get the red out”. People who suffer from dry eyes frequently experience constant burning and redness of the eyes. It’s not surprising that they might reach for a bottle of Visine eye drops to help reduce the redness. Is it okay to use Visine eye drops if you have dry eyes?

Visine Eye Drops for Dry Eyes?

It’s not a good idea to use Visine eye drops for dry eyes unless you use another product called Visine Tears instead. This product is specifically made for treating the symptoms of dry eyes. Standard Visine eye drops that “get the red out” reduce redness by constricting the blood vessels in the eye, but they won’t relieve the burning, light sensitivity, or foreign body sensation that most people with dry eyes deal with on a daily basis.

People who suffer with dry eyes either don’t produce enough tears or the tears they do produce evaporate too quickly – leaving the surface of the eye dry and irritated. In mild cases of dry eyes, this causes mild irritation and burning, but in more severe cases the corneal surface of the eye becomes inflamed and eroded which can lead to corneal scarring. Dry eyes need lubrication to moisten and protect the surface of the eye. Visine eye drops don’t provide this unless you use Visine Tears.

Is Visine Bad for Eyes?

In a sense Visine eye drops for the eyes can become “addictive”. They work by constricting blood vessels in the eye, but after a while the blood vessel constriction becomes less pronounced which means you have to use more to get the red out. Over time, this can damage the blood vessels in the eye. It’s also not a good idea for contact lens wearers to use Visine eye drops since they contain a preservative that can stick to contact lenses and cause eye irritation.

Is Visine bad for eyes? It certainly can be if you use it long term. Using it occasionally to get the red out before an important event isn’t usually a problem, but people with dry eyes should stay away Visine eye drops completely unless they use Visine Tears. Visine Tears can relieve some of the symptoms of dry eyes, but they don’t stay in the eye as well as some other lubricating eye drops such as Genteal or Refresh which may be a better choice. Check with your opthamologist and make sure you have dry eye before using lubricating eye drops to make sure you don’t have a more serious eye problem.

References:

Everyday Health website. “Visine”