Eye drops for red eyes

If a person has reddened sclera for a long time, then they talk about "red eye syndrome". But this symptom cannot be called a disease, it is only an indicator that there is a source of irritation in the body that provokes such a manifestation. And it can be of different genesis. Therefore, when choosing eye drops for reddened eyes, it is primarily necessary to establish the provocateur of such a reaction. Only after this can we talk about effective treatment.

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Indications for the use of eye drops for red eyes

Before deciding on a medication, it is worth knowing that they are divided into those that can reduce the intensity of symptoms, easing the physical well-being of the patient - these are vasoconstrictors and painkillers, as well as drugs that work to eliminate the root cause of the pathological manifestation: antibacterial and antiviral drugs.

Based on the causes of the symptom we are interested in, we also obtain indications for the use of eye drops for eye redness.

• Prevention of various diseases, as well as removal of increased load received by the eye during the day. This may concern such professions as a jeweler, a PC user, a quality control worker, a welder and others. In this case, vitamins are prescribed in the form of drops or drops for tired eyes.
• Inflammatory process.
• Mechanical damage to the cornea or sclera.
• An infectious or viral disease.
• Edema and hematoma of the eye.
• Conjunctival hyperemia caused by physical and chemical influences: cosmetics, smoke, wearing contact lenses, chlorinated water, dust or harsh light.
• Barley.
• An allergic reaction of the body to an external or internal irritant.
• High blood pressure.

Pharmacodynamics

Solutions used to relieve eye redness are divided into two classes: those aimed at relieving the visual symptom and those that are designed to act directly on the cause of the pathology. This is where the different pharmacodynamics of eye drops for eye redness comes from.

The group of drugs that eliminate the manifestation includes alpha-adrenergic agonists. These drugs do not contain any substances that can be called a drug. The principle of their action is the ability to affect the vascular system of the eye, causing capillaries to narrow, the sclera and adjacent areas receive less blood, which makes it possible to remove swelling and reduce, and subsequently completely eliminate hyperemia. Stimulation of the α-adrenergic receptors of the sympathetic nervous system is carried out. At the same time, there is no significant effect on the β-adrenergic receptors.

Usually, the body's reaction to the drug begins to manifest itself within a minute after taking it. The therapeutic effect lasts for four to eight hours.

The drops of this group include: tetryzoline, vizin, naphazoline, octilia, oxymetazoline, okumetil.

Redness of the eye surface often becomes a consequence of diseases caused by an attack of pathogenic flora of various genesis: infection, aggressive viruses, pathogenic strains of bacteria. In this case, taking drugs of the first group will help relieve symptoms, while they will disguise the problem itself, which will only worsen the situation. When diagnosing an inflammatory process, doctors recommend the use of antibiotics that have a wide range of effects.

The mechanism of action of the active substance of these drugs is based on the ability to connect with the 50S-unit of ribosomes in the genetic structure of bacteria, as well as the ability to slow down or completely block the synthesis of bacterial protein. At the same time, sensitivity to the drugs is shown by many strains. It is enough to name the most common: Escherichia coli, Treponema spp., Streptococcus spp., Neisseria spp., Shigella spp., Proteus spp., Chlamydia trachomatis and Ricketsia spp.

Typically, microorganisms develop resistance to drugs of this group over a fairly long period of time.

The following drugs belong to this category with a wide spectrum of action: aminoglycosides, macrolides, chloramphenicol, tetracycline.

Drugs with a narrower focus, but no less effective include: floxal, albucid, normax, sodium sulfacyl, tobrex, oftakvix, cipromed.

The pharmaceutical market can also offer medicines with special antiviral action. Such medicines, for example, show the best results in the treatment of conjunctivitis: actipol, oftalmoferon, tebrofen, oftan, interferon.

If the inflammation is not caused by an infection, it is often sufficient to use non-steroidal solutions. In this case, drops such as diclofenac are quite suitable. Local antiseptics are prescribed to it as an auxiliary therapy. This can be furacilin, zinc sulfate or lapis (silver nitrate).

If the redness of the eye surface is caused by an allergic reaction of the patient's body to a certain irritant, the specialist prescribes a drug from a combination group. The solution necessarily contains an antihistamine component. Such drugs not only help to narrow the capillary system, but also have an anti-inflammatory effect, which prevents swelling and hematoma formation.

The most popular antihistamine solutions used in the form of eye drops are: opatanol, lecrolin, persalerg, cromoghexal, allergoftal, allergodil.

In case of severe allergy diagnosis, it is necessary to prescribe very strong antiallergens, the basis of which are glucocorticosteroid hormones. But monotherapy in such a situation is ineffective, and, against the background of taking such drugs of local action as garazon, prednisolone, betamethasone, antihistamines for internal use are also necessarily prescribed.

Pharmacokinetics

Drugs from the first group, such as tetryzoline, which have a local effect, are practically not absorbed by the body, so there is no need to remove it or its metabolites.

The pharmacokinetics of eye drops for eye redness belonging to the antibiotic group have not been studied due to their low systemic binding (absorption).

Method of administration and dosage

There are too many medications for treating redness of the white of the eyeball to clearly describe the method of use and dosage, but some options for using drugs can still be voiced.

The medicinal solution is instilled into the eye area on the sclera. Usually one or two drops are prescribed per eyeball of the affected visual organ. The procedure is repeated two or three times during the day - this is enough to obtain the necessary therapeutic effect.

Most medicinal solutions also have restrictions on the duration of administration. Mostly, such drugs are not allowed to be used for more than four to five days in a row.

Some general recommendations and guidelines:

Pharmaceutical companies produce modern products in very convenient packaging that does not require additional means for use. Most of the packaging of drugs is a bottle and a pipette - two in one. Therefore, when the instillation procedure is carried out, it is necessary to ensure that the tip of the bottle does not touch the surface of the sclera.

If the patient uses lenses, then after instillation it is necessary to wait at least a quarter of an hour, only after this the lenses can be returned to their place.

There have been isolated cases where instillation of eye drops leads to pupil dilation, which results in the appearance of a "veil" on the eyes. In such a situation, it is necessary to refrain from or limit driving vehicles or dangerous machinery that require clear vision and attention for the duration of the drug's effect.

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Use during pregnancy

Large-scale studies on the effect of pharmacological drugs on the woman's body and her fetus during pregnancy have not been conducted. Therefore, the use of eye drops for red eyes during pregnancy and breastfeeding is possible only on the urgent prescription of the attending physician, when the real therapeutic benefit for the woman significantly outweighs the possibility of complications that the embryo or the already born baby may receive. In this case, the drug is taken under the constant supervision of a doctor.

Contraindications for use

Any pharmacological agent is, first of all, a set of chemical compounds that affect the patient's body. In nature, there are simply no chemical compounds that specifically affect only pathological processes. In parallel with the "positive work", the drug also affects other organs and systems, not always causing positive dynamics. There are also contraindications to the use of eye drops for redness of the eyes. There are not many of them, but you need to know them.

• Increased sensitivity of the patient's body to one or more components of the composition.
• Closed-angle glaucoma (high intraocular pressure).
• Endothelial-epithelial dystrophy of the cornea.
• Pregnancy and lactation.
• The child's age is up to two years, and some drugs have stricter age restrictions.

Eye drops should be prescribed with special caution if the patient’s medical history includes:

• Severe form of one of the cardiovascular pathologies:
  • Arterial hypertension.
  • Aneurysm is a pathological change in the structure of the walls of a cerebral vessel.
  • Ischemic heart disease.
  • Heart rhythm disturbance.
• Diabetes mellitus.
• Hyperthyroidism is a pathological change affecting the thyroid gland.
• Pheochromocytoma is the presence of a benign or malignant neoplasm in the adrenal glands.
• If the patient is taking medications that can affect the growth of blood pressure. For example, MAO inhibitors.

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Side effects

The human body is similar and at the same time individual, it reacts to this or that drug with different sensitivity. Therefore, any medication is quite capable, with the same dosage, of causing side effects of eye drops for redness of the eyes in one patient, while such manifestations will pass by another.

How can the patient's body react to taking the medicine? Due to the local action of eye drops for redness of the eyes, the main negative reaction occurs in the area of the visual organs.

The patient can feel and observe:

• A burning, itching and tingling sensation.
• Dilated pupil.
• Hyperemia.
• The appearance of painful symptoms.
• A veil over the eyes.
• Conjunctival irritation.
• Increased lacrimation.
• Skin rashes.

Very rarely, but digestive system failures may occur: pain in the epigastric region, as well as nausea. Headache, sleep disturbances, emotional instability may occur.

If at least one of the above symptoms occurs, you should inform your doctor. Based on the results of the examination, he will decide to change the dosage or change the drug.

Overdose

There are conditions under which it is not recommended to prescribe a particular drug, but if there are no contraindications, then it is necessary to very carefully follow the recommendations of the attending physician or the instructions offered for any drug.

If you deviate from the recommended dosage, you may get an overdose of the active ingredient, which will certainly result in complications or concomitant pathological symptoms.

Due to the local use of eye drops for redness of the eye, and also due to the fact that the absorption of the drug practically does not occur, the risk of such a manifestation is minimal, but it is still worth discussing. It should be noted that these symptoms are more likely if the drops for some reason got inside the patient, then the likelihood of negative phenomena increases significantly.

You can observe:

• Enlarged pupil.
• Convulsive reaction of the nervous system.
• Manifestations of fever.
• Nausea.
• The nasolabial triangle begins to take on a bluish tint – a manifestation of cyanosis, which occurs as a result of the high content of reduced hemoglobin in the blood.
• Tachycardia and heart rhythm disturbances.
• Arterial hypertension.

In particularly rare cases, cardiac arrest, respiratory failure, and even pulmonary edema and coma are possible.

Interactions with other drugs

To date, the interaction of eye drops for red eyes with other drugs has not been thoroughly studied. Therefore, with any combination of them, it is necessary to be attentive to the emerging symptoms. If side effects occur, you should immediately notify your doctor.

Storage conditions

The preparations in question must be stored in a room where the temperature does not exceed 25 degrees above zero. The medicine should not be stored in a place accessible to small children. At the same time, the storage conditions for eye drops for redness of the eyes provide for a place inaccessible to direct sunlight.

Best before date

An opened medicine must be used within four weeks after opening the bottle. The shelf life in sealed form is three years and is reflected on the packaging of the medicine. After the final use date on the packaging, it is strictly not recommended to use the medicine.

Vision is one of the six senses given to us by nature. And if there are problems with it, it is necessary to solve it immediately. If the white of the eye turns red, it is better to consult a specialist who will help to correctly establish the cause of the pathology and prescribe eye drops for redness of the eyes of exactly that group of drugs that can bring the necessary, positive result.