The front of the box says “soothing” and “advanced.” The back tells you what’s actually in it. Paste the ingredient list and we’ll explain every line.
Or try an example label:
Examples are typical labels, not specific brands. Everything runs in your browser.
What kind of drop it is, what each ingredient does, and anything worth knowing, such as harsh preservatives or redness relievers that don’t treat dryness.
Active ingredients are the ones the FDA recognizes for a purpose, such as lubricant or redness reliever. Inactive ingredients include everything else, and they matter just as much. Hyaluronic acid, one of the most useful ingredients in modern drops, is always listed as inactive in the US because it isn’t on the FDA’s over-the-counter list.
Preservatives keep a multi-dose bottle free of germs once opened. The most common, benzalkonium chloride, can damage the surface of the eye with frequent long-term use. Gentler options include polyquaternium-1 and so-called disappearing preservatives that break down on the eye. Preservative-free drops come in single-use vials or special bottles with a one-way tip.
Redness relievers such as tetrahydrozoline and naphazoline shrink blood vessels. They make eyes look whiter, but they don’t add moisture, and daily use can cause rebound redness. Check for them in “dry eye plus redness” combination drops.
Every ingredient the decoder knows, grouped by what it does.
Also listed as carboxymethylcellulose sodium, sodium carboxymethylcellulose, carboxymethyl cellulose
A cellulose-based lubricant that thickens tears slightly and helps them cling to the eye. One of the most common and best-studied drop ingredients.
Tip. Suits most people. Stronger versions (around 1%) last longer but blur more.
Also listed as hydroxypropyl methylcellulose, hydroxypropylmethylcellulose, hpmc
A cellulose lubricant similar to carboxymethylcellulose, used in many gentle drops and gels.
Also listed as hydroxyethyl cellulose
A cellulose lubricant and thickener, often used in contact lens rewetting drops.
An older cellulose lubricant that adds body to drops.
Also listed as glycerine, glycerol
A lubricant that also attracts water. Often paired with carboxymethylcellulose.
Also listed as polyethylene glycol 400, polyethylene glycol 300, peg 400
A lubricant that coats the eye surface and holds moisture. Common in gel drops.
A lubricant often paired with polyethylene glycol to soothe and moisturize.
Also listed as pva
A lubricant that helps tears spread and stick to the eye.
Also listed as polyvinylpyrrolidone, pvp
A lubricant that forms a thin, moisture-holding film on the eye.
Also listed as dextran
A sugar-based lubricant usually combined with a cellulose lubricant.
Also listed as hydroxypropyl guar gum, hp-guar, hp guar
A plant-based gelling agent. It thickens when it meets the salts in your tears, forming a soft protective layer that lasts longer than water alone.
Also listed as polysorbate
A lubricant that doubles as an emulsifier, letting oil and water mix in emulsion drops.
Also listed as hyaluronic acid, hyaluronate, sodium hyaluronan
Holds many times its weight in water and thins out as you blink, so it feels comfortable. In the US it appears as an inactive ingredient because it isn’t on the FDA’s over-the-counter list, but it does real work.
Tip. A good sign in drops for frequent use.
A natural sugar that protects the eye’s surface cells from drying stress.
An osmoprotectant that helps surface cells cope with salty, dried-out tears.
Also listed as l-carnitine, carnitine
An osmoprotectant that helps surface cells keep their water balance when tears are too salty.
Also listed as light mineral oil, heavy mineral oil, paraffin oil
Adds to the tear film’s oil layer to slow evaporation. Common in oil-based drops and night ointments.
Tip. A good match for oil layer (evaporative) dry eye. Expect brief blur.
Also listed as petrolatum, white soft paraffin, petroleum jelly
The base of most night ointments. Seals moisture in while you sleep.
Tip. Blurs vision, so use it at bedtime only.
A plant oil used in emulsion drops to strengthen the oil layer.
Also listed as linseed oil
A plant oil used in some emulsion drops alongside castor oil.
Also listed as dimyristoyl phosphatidylglycerol, phosphatidylglycerol, phospholipid
Mimic the natural fats that help the oil layer spread evenly. Found in lipid nano-emulsion drops.
Also listed as anhydrous lanolin, lanolin alcohol
A wool-derived fat used in some ointments to lock in moisture.
Tip. Can irritate people who are sensitive to wool alcohols.
Also listed as benzalkonium, bak, bac
The most common eye drop preservative. With frequent, long-term use it can damage the eye’s surface cells and make dry eye worse.
Tip. If you use drops more than about four times a day, choose preservative-free.
Also listed as polyquaternium 1, polyquad
A large-molecule preservative that is far gentler on surface cells than benzalkonium chloride.
Tip. Usually fine for regular use.
Also listed as purite, ocupure, sodium chlorite
A so-called disappearing preservative that breaks down into components already found in tears when exposed to light.
Tip. Usually fine for regular use.
Also listed as genaqua
A disappearing preservative that turns into water and oxygen on contact with the eye.
Tip. Usually fine for regular use.
Also listed as polyaminopropyl biguanide, polyhexanide, phmb
A gentle preservative widely used in contact lens solutions and some drops.
An older preservative that can irritate with frequent use.
Also listed as potassium sorbate
A mild preservative, more common in contact lens products.
Also listed as edetate disodium, disodium edetate, disodium edta
Binds minerals so preservatives work better. Mildly irritating to some eyes.
Also listed as tetrahydrozoline hydrochloride, tetrahydrozoline hcl
Shrinks the small blood vessels on the white of the eye to make it look less red for a few hours.
Tip. Doesn’t treat dryness. Regular use can leave eyes redder when it wears off.
Also listed as naphazoline hydrochloride, naphazoline hcl
A redness reliever that constricts blood vessels on the eye’s surface.
Tip. Doesn’t treat dryness. Avoid daily use.
Also listed as phenylephrine hydrochloride, phenylephrine hcl
A redness reliever that constricts blood vessels on the eye’s surface.
Tip. Doesn’t treat dryness. Avoid daily use.
Also listed as oxymetazoline hydrochloride, oxymetazoline hcl
A longer-acting redness reliever that constricts surface blood vessels.
Tip. Doesn’t treat dryness. Avoid daily use.
Also listed as brimonidine tartrate
At low strength it’s an over-the-counter redness reliever. At higher strengths it’s a glaucoma medicine.
Tip. Reported to cause less rebound redness than older whiteners, but it’s still cosmetic, not a dry eye treatment.
Also listed as ketotifen fumarate
An antihistamine and mast cell stabilizer for itchy, allergic eyes. Available over the counter.
Tip. Won’t lubricate dry eyes. Keep it separate from your lubricating drops.
Also listed as olopatadine hydrochloride, olopatadine hcl
A once-daily antihistamine drop for allergic itch. Available over the counter.
Tip. Won’t lubricate dry eyes.
Also listed as pheniramine maleate
An older antihistamine usually paired with a redness reliever in combination drops.
Tip. The redness reliever it comes with is the bigger concern for daily use.
Spreads into a thin layer over the tear film that slows evaporation. Sold as Miebo by prescription in the US.
Tip. Made specifically for oil layer dry eye.
Also listed as ciclosporin, cyclosporin
Calms the inflammation that suppresses tear production. Prescription drops include Restasis, Cequa and Vevye.
Tip. Often takes weeks to months to show its full effect.
A prescription anti-inflammatory drop for dry eye, sold as Xiidra.
A prescription drop that kills Demodex mites on the eyelids, sold as Xdemvy.
A prescription drop that stimulates the eye’s cold-sensing nerves to increase natural tear production, sold as Tryptyr.
Also listed as loteprednol etabonate
A prescription steroid drop sometimes used for short dry eye flare-ups.
Tip. Steroids need an eye doctor’s supervision.
Also listed as carbomer 980, carbomer 974p, carbomer 940
A gelling agent that turns drops into a liquid gel that stays on the eye longer.
Tip. Gels blur more, so many people use them at night.
Also listed as xanthan
A natural thickener that helps drops stay on the eye.
Adjusts the drop’s concentration to match tears.
A buffer that keeps the drop at a comfortable pH.
Also listed as sodium tetraborate, borax
A buffer that keeps the drop at a comfortable pH.
Also listed as salt
Salt, used to match the saltiness of natural tears.
An electrolyte found in natural tears.
An electrolyte found in natural tears.
An electrolyte found in natural tears.
A trace electrolyte added to some drops.
A buffer that keeps the drop at a comfortable pH.
A buffer and electrolyte.
Also listed as sodium phosphate dibasic, sodium phosphate monobasic, dibasic sodium phosphate
A buffer that keeps the drop at a comfortable pH.
A buffer found naturally in tears.
Also listed as amp
A buffer that keeps the drop at a comfortable pH.
Also listed as trometamol
A buffer that keeps the drop at a comfortable pH.
Also listed as hydrochloric acid, sodium hydroxide
Tiny amounts used to set the pH during manufacturing. Nothing to worry about.
Also listed as water for injection, water
The base of nearly every drop.
For most people with dry eye, yes, especially if you use drops more than about four times a day. Preservatives such as benzalkonium chloride can irritate and damage the eye’s surface cells with frequent, long-term use. Occasional use of a preserved drop is fine for most people.
In the US, over-the-counter eye drops can only list ingredients from the FDA’s approved monograph as active. Hyaluronic acid isn’t on that list, so it appears under inactive ingredients even though it plays a real role in comfort and moisture.
It’s best not to. Redness relievers shrink blood vessels to whiten the eye, but they don’t lubricate. Used often, they can cause rebound redness that makes eyes look worse when the drops wear off.
Our evidence grades describe how strong the research is, not how safe a product is. A mixed grade means studies disagree or are small. See What works for every remedy we’ve graded.