What actually works for dry eye
Every common dry eye remedy, graded by the strength of the research behind it. From free habits to clinic treatments, each with a rough idea of cost and a link to the main source wherever research exists. Last updated .
How the grades work
Strong evidence
Consistent results from several well-run randomized trials.
Good evidence
At least one solid trial or regulatory approval, backed by other studies. Helps many people.
Mixed evidence
Small or conflicting studies. May help some people, and the low-risk ones are worth a try.
Weak evidence
Good studies found little or no benefit for this use, or there’s no good evidence it helps.
Not recommended means it doesn’t treat dry eye and can make things worse with regular use.
The evidence board
Showing 20 items
| Remedy | Where | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Preservative-free artificial tearsThe sensible first step for almost everyone. Pick preservative-free if you use drops more than four times a day, and match the formula to your type.Pucker et al., Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, 2016 (opens in a new tab) | Over the counter | Good | $About $10 to $25 a month |
| Warm compress with a heat-holding maskSoftens thickened oil in the eyelid glands. The target is about 40°C (104°F) on the eyelids for around ten minutes. A microwavable mask holds that heat. A washcloth cools within minutes.Lee, Ophthalmology and Therapy, 2024 (opens in a new tab) | At home | Good | $One-off $15 to $35 |
| Daily lid hygieneA Cochrane review found that cleaning the lash line may ease blepharitis symptoms. Cheap, low risk and often skipped.Lindsley et al., Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, 2012 (opens in a new tab) | At home | Good | $About $10 to $20 a month |
| Blink exercisesA small trial found a ten-second blink exercise, done every 20 minutes for a month, improved symptoms and tear film stability. Promising, free and takes seconds.Kim et al., Contact Lens & Anterior Eye, 2021 (opens in a new tab) | At home | Mixed | Free |
| 20-20-20 screen breaksReminders to look away cut eye strain and dryness symptoms in a two-week study. The benefit faded a week after people stopped.Talens-Estarelles et al., Contact Lens & Anterior Eye, 2023 (opens in a new tab) | At home | Mixed | Free |
| HumidifierMakes physical sense in dry, heated rooms and carries little risk. Direct trial evidence for dry eye is limited. | At home | Mixed | $$One-off $30 to $80 |
| Moisture chamber gogglesWorth a try if your eyes are worst in the morning or you sleep with a fan or CPAP. Not well studied. | Over the counter | Mixed | $$About $25 to $60 |
| Omega-3 fish oil supplementsA large, year-long trial gave people 3,000 mg a day. They did no better than people taking olive oil.DREAM Study Research Group, New England Journal of Medicine, 2018 (opens in a new tab) | Over the counter | Mixed | $$About $15 to $45 a month |
| Tea tree oil lid treatmentsReduces Demodex mites in some studies, but a Cochrane review called the evidence uncertain. Lower concentrations may irritate less.Savla et al., Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, 2020 (opens in a new tab) | Over the counter | Mixed | $$About $20 to $40 a month |
| Blue light glasses for eye strainA 2023 Cochrane review found they may make no difference to eye strain from screens. Spend the money elsewhere.Singh et al., Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, 2023 (opens in a new tab) | Over the counter | Weak | $$About $20 to $100 |
| Redness-relief dropsThey shrink blood vessels. They don’t treat dryness, and regular use can leave eyes redder when they wear off. | Over the counter | Not recommended | $About $5 to $15 |
| Prescription anti-inflammatory dropsCyclosporine and lifitegrast are thought to calm the inflammation that keeps dry eye going. They can take weeks to months to show their full effect.American Academy of Ophthalmology (opens in a new tab) | Prescription | Good | $$$Varies with insurance |
| Perfluorohexyloctane (Miebo)Four randomized trials in people with oil-gland dry eye, about 1,800 in all, found consistent improvement in dryness and surface damage over eight weeks. The first prescription drop aimed at evaporation.Guedes et al., Cureus, 2024 (opens in a new tab) | Prescription | Strong | $$$Varies with insurance |
| Tear-stimulating drops and spraysAcoltremon (Tryptyr) drops and varenicline (Tyrvaya) nasal spray raise your own tear production, likely through the nerves that trigger tearing, instead of adding artificial tears.FDA prescribing information: Tryptyr, via DailyMed (opens in a new tab) | Prescription | Good | $$$Varies with insurance |
| Lotilaner (Xdemvy) for DemodexTwo phase 3 trials. In one, 56% of patients had their lash debris fully cleared after six weeks, against 12.5% on placebo.Saturn-2 phase 3 trial, Ophthalmology, 2023 (opens in a new tab) | Prescription | Strong | $$$Varies with insurance |
| Intense pulsed light (IPL)Light pulses on the skin below the eyes. A 2025 review of 13 trials found it probably eases symptoms, though how much it adds to standard care is less clear.Peira et al., Acta Ophthalmologica, 2025 (opens in a new tab) | In a clinic | Good | $$$$Often a few hundred dollars a session, usually three or four sessions |
| Thermal pulsation (LipiFlow and similar)Heats the eyelids and presses on the glands to help clear them, in one visit. A 2024 Cochrane review of 13 trials found LipiFlow performed about as well as other common treatments, such as warm compresses, though the evidence was low or very low certainty.Pucker et al., Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, 2024 (opens in a new tab) | In a clinic | Good | $$$$Often several hundred dollars or more per eye |
| Punctal plugsTiny plugs slow tear drainage. Individual trials reported benefits, but a Cochrane review of 18 trials found the evidence inconclusive.Ervin et al., Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, 2017 (opens in a new tab) | In a clinic | Mixed | $$Varies, so ask for a written estimate |
| Autologous serum dropsDrops made from your own blood, used for severe cases. May beat artificial tears in the short term, with little long-term data.Pan et al., Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, 2017 (opens in a new tab) | In a clinic | Mixed | $$$$Varies, so ask for a written estimate |
| Drinking more waterGood for you in general, but there’s no good evidence extra water fixes dry eye unless you’re actually dehydrated. | At home | Weak | Free |
Costs are typical US prices before insurance and vary widely by clinic and region. Grades reflect our reading of the published evidence as of the date above. How we grade.
How to use this board
Start with the low-cost, well-supported basics: preservative-free drops matched to your type, a proper warm compress routine and daily lid hygiene. Give them four to six weeks before you judge them, because home routines can take a few weeks to show what they can do.
If you’re still uncomfortable, the prescription and clinic rows are where the bigger gains are. A dry eye specialist can test which layer of your tear film is failing and pick treatments that target it, instead of working through the list one bottle at a time.
Grades aren’t the whole story. A mixed-evidence remedy that’s cheap and harmless, like blink exercises, can be worth a try. A strongly supported treatment can still be wrong for you. That’s a conversation for your eye doctor.
Treating dry eye at home, without drops
Two of the board’s at-home remedies are graded Good: a warm compress with a heat-holding mask, which a 2024 review found relieves symptoms of oil-gland dry eye when used repeatedly1 Lee, Ophthalmology and Therapy, 2024 (opens in a new tab). Evidence-Based Strategies for Warm Compress Therapy in Meibomian Gland Dysfunction., and daily lid cleaning, which a Cochrane review found may ease blepharitis symptoms2 Lindsley et al., Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, 2012 (opens in a new tab). Interventions for chronic blepharitis.. Blink exercises improved symptoms in one small trial with no comparison group3 Kim et al., Contact Lens & Anterior Eye, 2021 (opens in a new tab). Therapeutic benefits of blinking exercises in dry eye disease., and 20-20-20 screen breaks eased symptoms in a two-week study of 29 computer users with symptoms, though the benefit had faded a week after they stopped4 Talens-Estarelles et al., Contact Lens & Anterior Eye, 2023 (opens in a new tab). The effects of breaks on digital eye strain, dry eye and binocular vision: Testing the 20-20-20 rule.. Those two, and a humidifier, whose direct trial evidence for dry eye is limited, are graded Mixed. Drinking extra water is graded Weak. Each has its own row on the board above.
The free Dry Eye Profile sorts your symptoms into a likely type and gives you a plan in about three minutes.
Surprised by a grade?
Omega-3 supplements and blue light glasses are two of the most-bought dry eye and eye strain products, and both score poorly in the best available trials. Read what the blue light research found, or see the DREAM trial summary.
When drops aren’t enough, the fix is usually in a clinic.
Blocked oil glands, eyelid mites and long-running inflammation often need more than a pharmacy shelf can offer. A dry eye specialist can measure what’s going on and treat the cause.
- Intense pulsed lightOil glands, rosacea
- Thermal pulsationBlocked glands
- Lotilaner dropsEyelid mites
- Anti-inflammatory dropsChronic inflammation
- Punctal plugsLow tear volume