Seeing Red

The year 2023 was a bad one for over-the-counter eye care products. In January, two brands of eyedrops were pulled from shelves after they were linked to a drug-resistant bacteria strain that has been found to have caused at least four deaths and serious health issues in several others. Weeks later, two other types of eyedrops were recalled because they posed a different kind of contamination risk. In October, another 26 eye care products were pulled from shelves after the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) found unsanitary conditions at a manufacturing plant. And in November, Amazon said it was removing seven types of eyedrops from its website after receiving a warning letter from the FDA, which said the products were not approved for sale in the United States.

This flurry of recalls and the recent warning may have you second-guessing your trusted source of dry-eye relief … and, honestly, you should.

“What if I told you that popular over-the-counter drops could potentially make your dull, dry, irritated, red eyes worse?” That’s the question Winter Garden Ophthalmologist Dr. Mike Imler posed during a West Orange Chamber Networking Meeting, and it got our attention.

Who doesn’t have Visine in the cabinet for those rough mornings, or turned to Lumify to brighten those whites for photoshoots and makeup applications?

According to Dr. Imler, those redness-reliever and brightening drops do, in fact, work, but that relief may come at a cost when used daily. Your eyes get addicted to the redness remover, making you rely on the drops even more than before to keep your eyes white. Consistent use can lead to infection, rebound hyperemia, permanent redness, pain, swelling, and even vision changes. It can also complicate other eye health issues like glaucoma and cataracts.

“Certainly, the key to eliminating redness naturally is to find out the real problem,” says Dr. Imler. This could be several things, such as allergies, irritants like smoke or dust, dry eye, stress, lack of sleep, or certain medications. But on those rare occasions when you just need a little extra help, Dr. Imler suggests reaching for Refresh.

“Refresh is a favorite of those in our community because it’s been around a while and it usually never disappoints. This is a non-preserved artificial tear that includes no additional chemicals which would irritate the eyes. Would I use it several times a day? Not unless prescribed, but for those occasions when you need a little extra help, it’s the safest option, in my opinion.”