For people who suffer from allergies and people who work with computers, eye drops can seem like a miracle product. However, before you start using eye drops regularly, there are some facts your doctor of optometry wants you to know about the risks and benefits of eyedrop use.
The Benefits
For patients who have issues with dry and irritated eyes, eye drops can provide significant relief. Red, itchy eyes feel better once the cooling effect of the drops kicks in. Fatigued eyes may feel refreshed and have an improved ability to focus. Eye drops also provide easy treatment of many eye health problems, such as allergy eyes, patients with glaucoma, people who’ve had surgery for cataracts or vision correction, and as a method of treatment for children who have “lazy eye” problems. Eye drops are a versatile, non-invasive way to manage various eye health issues.
The Risks
With all of the wonderful benefits that eye drops provide in optometry, the risks of using them are also very significant. Some drops conflict with other medications, which can increase eye pressure or make the eye drops either more or less powerful than they should be. Some people are allergic or sensitive to the ingredients in the eye drops, which leads to a worse situation when the already irritated eye reacts to the added allergen. Using eye drops often will cause blurry vision, and a risky situation if you need to drive or operate machinery. Last but not least, eye drops are designed for short term use so prolonged application of certain medicated drops can cause long term trouble, such as glaucoma and cataracts, or decreased tear production.
Before using eye drops or any eye medication, talk to your Phoenix optometry specialist first so he or she can recommend the right product and dosage for your specific problem.
