Daily Eye Drop Use

Content provided by the Faculty of the Harvard Medical School

Daily Eye Drop Use

Question:

Is it safe to use eye drops daily to relieve redness? I spend eight hours daily looking at a computer screen, but in the last couple of weeks, my eyes are red even an hour after I awake in the morning.

Answer:

It is generally safe to use over-the-counter eye drops daily to relieve redness. However, we understand a great deal more about the causes of chronic red eye. Therapies that are easier on you may be available.

An ophthalmologist who specializes in external diseases of the eye would probably be helpful to you. The computer screen complaint is a common one and probably is caused by the eyes drying out due to intense concentration. But it may be that there is another underlying problem that is exacerbated by the computer screen use.

Don Bienfang, M.D, is an assistant professor of ophthalmology at Harvard Medical School and the Senior Surgeon in the Department of Surgery and Chief of Neuro-Ophthalmology in the Department of Neurology at Brigham and Women's Hospital.

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Last updated:	July 20, 2009

Medical content reviewed by the Faculty of the Harvard Medical School. Harvard Health Publications, Copyright © 2007 by President and Fellows of Harvard College. All rights reserved. Used with permission of StayWell.

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