Every spring pollen and fluff from cotten trees affect my eyes. They get extremely itchy, irritated and sore. I went to London Drugs and bought Visine eye drops for eye allergies two springs ago... I was recently using it when my friend told me that it was bad for your eyes. Is this true? I want to see an eye doctor but not sure if it's necesary...
2007-06-22 12:19:50 · 14 answers · asked by DD 3 in Health ➔ Optical
yes, it can be bad for you if it is used chronically. its not too bad for you IMO if you only use it OCCASIONALLY.
i'm going to cut and paste my answer from a poster who said he was using them every day for years at a time (not saying you are doing this...)
here's my answer to the other poster:
"Yes, Visine is bad for you. The package insert says not to use it more than 10 consecutive days, and there's a reason for that: its unhealthy for your eyes when used for more than 10 days.
Visine and Clear Eyes are potent vasoconstrictors. they just make your eyes look "whiter" by vastly constricting blood vasculature on the surface of the eye. This is certainly not "healthy". in fact, your eye *hates* this.
Prolonged use of Visine cuts off blood flow to the limbal region of your cornea...the portion responsible for making new corneal cells. If that area is deprived of oxygen for long enough, you'll eventually develop corneal limbal stem cell dysfunction and potential permanent vision loss.
Obviously that would not happen in an otherwise healthy person over the course of only a few days or weeks, but thats where you're likely headed if you use it multiple times a day every day for years at a time. It can be *very* bad for you when used that way.
Visine also causes "rebound hyperemia" or what I refer to as "visine addiction". Basically your eyes get so used to the drug that not only does the whitening effect eventually wear off...it gets to where you have red eyes all the time, even when you do use the drops. That's right...Visine will actually CAUSE your eyes to be chronically red if you use it all the time.
Visine and Clear Eyes have their place in medicine, just never for chronic use. here's when to use Visine: if you have red eyes not from a serious infectious or inflammatory process and you need to QUICKLY and temporarily look "normal" for a job interview or your wedding pictures or whatever. It was never designed to "keep" your eyes white all the time. in fact it does the opposite...when used chronically it actually CAUSES chronic red eyes."
2007-06-23 09:10:34 · answer #1 · answered by princeidoc 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Visine Eye Drops
2016-10-06 06:02:43 · answer #2 · answered by ? 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Visine contains a decongestant which should not be used by people with some health conditions (warning on bottle). Using a decongestant repeatedly will result in rebound congestion: your eyes will become red because you stopped using Visine, not due to allergies.
But also Visine is not very good as a treatment for allergies. Itching, redness etc from allergies can be much better controlled with oral antihistamines or prescription eye drops. See your family doctor or eye doctor for advice and effective treatment of eye allergy.
2007-06-22 13:10:23 · answer #3 · answered by Judy B 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋
you can't just self diognose yourself. You need to get your eyes checked by an optician to find out the problem. You don't even know if you really have "choroideremia or nystagmus?? i am only concluding base don what you said that your eyes are just irritated by visine and different brands work for different people. I too have tried visine and i don't feel like it really does anything, i put it in my eyes and my eyes are still irritated and it still stings even though it says on the box it won't stick. So i am sticking to the one i originally got which was "moisture eye/dry eye tear drops"-- generic brand. It works and it does not sting as much.
2016-03-14 05:51:58 · answer #4 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
visine isn't bad for your eyes when used in moderation. however, you shouldn't use visine when you have contacts in. there are eye washes available over the counter-work great. also what is the shelf life once it's open? 2 yrs- maybe but i doubt it. you could see an eye dr any way- there are always new products out.
2007-06-22 14:41:53 · answer #5 · answered by mclass920 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Like any drug, your eyes will get addicted to Visine. Take it too much, your eyes will always be red and irritaded because it'll want more meds. Take it in moderation.
2007-06-22 12:30:38 · answer #6 · answered by Jon Skywalker 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Visine constricts the blood vessels in the eyes. The redness in the eyes is due to an increase of blood in the eye area. This is caused by the secretion of histamine from the basophil leukocytes in the blood - the histamine vasodilates the blood vessels making them larger, to get more blood to the area to fight bacteria. This is generally caused by an allergic reaction, or can be caused by lack of sleep because the eyes are subjected to fighting off more bacteria the longer they are open. Occassional use is not harmful, but you may find that your eyes become dependant on it, because the body is no longer "trained" to fix the problem itself.
2007-06-22 12:30:17 · answer #7 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
I have never heard of it being bad for your eyes.
The only thing I have heard is that is you constantly use the drops, your eyes will get use to it and not make enough of your own moisture and thus, have to continue to use the drops so your eyes don't feel so dry.
When in doubt ask your optometrist. All the best!
2007-06-22 12:28:25 · answer #8 · answered by Eternalsilence 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
They are not bad for your eyes in moderation. Once or twice a week certainly won't hurt you. If you use eye drops excessively, they actually make symptoms worse.
2007-06-22 12:24:22 · answer #9 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
1
2016-06-18 23:53:21 · answer #10 · answered by ? 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋