Homemade Eye Spray---Safe? Effective?

[jamesndawson]

I have had a mild "dry eye" problem, off and on, for the past 5 or 10 years. It comes and goes, and of course, tends to be worse in the morning.

I'm not sure what all causes it, but I suppose dust and such from my lawn work may contribute. It's more a nuisance than anything else.

I came across any eye spray in a mail order catalogue and considered getting a couple small 1 oz. bottles for !2.99. I've e-mailed that company and asked if they test on animals and what the ingredients are. If they test and are un-vegan, I won't buy them. But I was wondering if it might be just as effective if I just put some distilled water in some small spray bottles I have and use that. Does that sound okay, or would it not be a good idea? Are most eye-drop solutions specially formulated? I don't like eye drops. They're messy, awkward and inconvenient. I like the idea of a spray. I thought the chlorinated water out of my tap might aggravate the problem. (I remember how my eyes felt when I got out of the swimming pool.)

I know this may seem unimportant, but sometimes it feels like there's sand in my eyes, and I'd like to have a way of alleviating it.

Thanks.

[Frostfire]

Hi James, I'm no expert but don't eye drops have a specfic pH that is different from water? I don't think water is bad now and then but I'd be concerned about long-term use.

[xmikeyx]

Bit of an old thread I guess, but just thought I'd add that it probably isn't a great idea to use water as a regular eye-drop/spray. pH is one thing, but mineral/salt concentration is more of an issue. It's kinda like how your skin wrinkles when in water for too long, or how contact lenses go all funny if left in water instead of saline solution. Water is alright now and then for your eyes, but if it's a constant thing you could be doing some not great stuff. It's all about osmosis and things like that. The fluid that covers your eyes is actually pretty interesting. If you are regularly getting dry eyes to the point of causing pain it might actually pay to get it checked out anyway. Could be a simple mechanical reason for it, or a sign of dehydration or something like that.

[xrodolfox]

^Yes.

in a pinch, I've left my contacts in a slightly saline solution made from distilled water and a pinch of salt (to taste like teardrops). Pretty good if I'm stuck.

Just water? Ugh. That sounds like it would make the eyes even "drier".

(old thread REVIVED!)

[jamesndawson]

Thanks everybody for the input.
I never heard back from that company, Nature's Tears, and I did decide to just go ahead and order and I got it about a week ago. I have to confess, though I try as much as possible to buy cruelty-free, I'm sure a lot OTC meds & cleaning supplies I use may be tested on animals. I don't like that, but I'm trying to chip away at it as best I can.
I try to contact these companies beforehand as often advised on this forum but I've been totally ignored by them so many times. Does anybody use IsItVegan? I've tried it recently and the questions seem very softball and unhelpful---"is bread vegan?", etc. I thought it was supposed to be for the "hard questions" & more obscure items. Maybe some of you have had better experiences with it.