Any healthy red-reliever drops?

[blakesl8]

Hi everyone,
I've posted a few times about how red my eyes get. I was wondering if anyone found any red reliever drops that actually are ok to use on the eyes and aren't harmful. Do any red reliever drops seem to work better than another??

[lisiamc]

I think you need to ask someone qualified for a more definitive answer, but I'll give you my opinion as a one-time user of redness-reducing drops.

The redness is only a symptom, and you really need to keep treating the underlying problem (irritation, allergy, etc.) If you mask the problem by making the red go away, you're not really solving the problem, and may be reducing useful treatment because the eye doesn't "look" like it has a problem anymore.

All of the "get-the-red-out" drops that I know about can have very noticeable rebound redness, where the constricted vessels quickly bounce back looking twice as big and red. This often results in increased use and increased rebound redness - a no-win situation. Quite a few of these drops also contain harsh preservatives such as BAK.

So the short version of my advice is to stay far away from drops whose only purpose is to whiten your eyes. They cause many more problems then they solve. Settle for making your eyes feel good, and looking good will hopefully come in time.

Lisa

[blakesl8]

Thank you for your advice. I've been trying to stop using the drops, it's just so hard!! Everytime I try to I feel like they get even worse and redder so I cave in to using the drops .

[kitty]

Have you been evaluated for ocular rosacea? A key symptom is red eyes. Consider treating the cause rather than ******g the signs.

[blakesl8]

No I haven't...I guess I never had a problem with it on my face, so I don't know if it's still possible to have it in my eyes. But I'll look into it.
Thanks!!

[alisonW]

Just wanted to let you know....

that you can absolutely have ocular rosacea without having any facial symptoms. Many times symptoms appear first in the eyes and then progress to the face. Hth!

[indrep]

You really need to reduce the reason your bllod vessels are dilated and so close to the surface of the sclera.