Product Playbook · Clinical Guide
Eye Drops and Lubricants, Mapped by Patient Fit
Every artificial tear on the shelf does something a little different. This is how we sort drops by preservative status, mechanism, and viscosity so the patient in your chair leaves with the right one, not the one with the loudest box.
Key Takeaways
- Match the drop to the mechanism first: aqueous-deficient surfaces want volume and HA retention, evaporative surfaces want a lipid or semifluorinated layer.
- Move to PF when patients dose frequently. Preservative load is the variable most likely to keep an irritated surface inflamed.
- Daytime drops keep vision crisp; gels and ointments are for overnight, where blur is acceptable and contact time is the point.
- Stock two or three fast movers across the categories below and route the long tail through RescueLink so you carry no dead inventory.
- Contact lens wearers need a CL-friendly label. Confirm it before you recommend, since not every PF drop is cleared for use on a lens.
Quick Answer
For most mild to moderate patients, start with a preservative-free drop matched to the dominant problem: a lipid or emulsion drop for evaporative and MGD-driven dryness, a hyaluronate-based PF drop for aqueous-deficient or post-procedure surfaces, and an overnight gel or ointment for exposure and morning symptoms. Step up viscosity and contact time as severity climbs. The named products below are examples we see work, organized so you can stock a few and route the rest.
The Categories on the Shelf
Five buckets cover almost everything a dry eye patient needs. Each links to its category so you can see what is in stock and at what price.
Frequent dosing
PF Multidose Bottles
Preservative-free in a bottle the patient can carry. The everyday workhorse for anyone dosing more than a few times a day.
Most sensitive surfaces
PF Single-Use Vials
Zero preservative, single-use sterility. The safest choice for severe OSD, post-surgical, and very frequent dosers.
Evaporative and MGD
Lipid and Emulsion Drops
Restore the oily layer so the tear film stops flashing off between blinks. First reach for short TBUT and MGD patterns.
Daytime and gel
Gels and Liquid Gels
Higher viscosity and longer contact time for moderate symptoms, with a brief blur patients tolerate during the day.
Overnight
Ointments and Night Care
Maximum contact time while the eyes are closed. For exposure, nocturnal lagophthalmos, and patients who wake up raw.
All lubricants
The Full Drop Shelf
Every drop and lubricant in one place when you want to compare formulas and pack sizes side by side.
Match the Drop to the Patient
A starting point, not a rule. The named products are examples we reach for in each pattern. Adjust to the surface in front of you.
| Patient pattern | What it needs | Examples we reach for |
|---|---|---|
| Aqueous-deficient, frequent dosing | PF, HA retention, carry-friendly bottle | iVIZIA, Optase Intense PF |
| Severe or post-procedure surface | Single-use sterility, zero preservative | Oasis Tears Plus PF, Systane Hydration PF vials, Refresh Relieva PF Xtra |
| Evaporative, short TBUT, MGD | Lipid or emulsion to rebuild the oily layer | Refresh Optive Mega-3, Soothe XP, Systane Complete |
| Thicker daytime relief | Gel viscosity, longer contact time | GenTeal Severe gel |
| Overnight, exposure, morning symptoms | Ointment, maximum overnight contact | HYLO Night PF, Refresh PM |
Practice guidance is to move patients to preservative-free drops once they dose past roughly four to six times a day, since repeated preservative exposure adds up on an already stressed surface (TFOS DEWS III). Confirm each product's contact lens and preservative status on its current label before recommending.
Stock a Few, Route the Rest
You do not need the whole wall. Stock the everyday categories patients buy on the way out, and let RescueLink carry the specialty formulas and refills so you hold no dead inventory.
| Stock at wholesale | Route through RescueLink |
|---|---|
| One PF multidose, one lipid or emulsion drop, one overnight gel or ointment, a starter PF vial pack | Specialty and less common formulas, larger pack sizes, and every refill on auto-ship so the reorder stays yours |
Get Drops to Patients Who Run Out
RescueLink sends a personalized drop recommendation to the patient by text or email in under 60 seconds, with one-tap ordering and same-day shipping. Free for providers, no setup fees or quotas, and the recommending relationship stays with your practice.
DER Clinical Pearl
When a patient says drops "stopped working," check dosing frequency before you change formulas. The usual culprit is preservative load from a bottle used eight or ten times a day, not the molecule. Switching the same patient to a PF version of a similar drop often settles the surface without any other change.
Frequently Asked Questions
When should I move a patient to preservative-free?
Once they dose past about four to six times a day, or any time the surface is already compromised by severe OSD, recent surgery, or chronic inflammation. The more often the bottle goes in, the more the preservative matters.
Lipid drop or aqueous drop, how do I choose?
Look at the failure point. Short TBUT and an unstable, oily-deficient film point to a lipid or emulsion drop. A genuinely low tear volume points to a hyaluronate-based aqueous drop. Many mixed patients do well rotating both.
Are gels and ointments only for nighttime?
Ointments are, since the blur is significant. Liquid gels sit in between and are fine for daytime use in patients who want longer relief and accept a few seconds of haze on instillation.
Which drops are safe over contact lenses?
Only ones labeled contact lens friendly. Confirm on the current label, because preservative-free does not automatically mean cleared for use on a lens.
How many drops should I actually stock?
Two or three fast movers covering PF multidose, a lipid option, and an overnight product handle most walk-out needs. Route the specialty formulas through RescueLink instead of carrying them.
How do I get drops to patients who run out between visits?
Send them through RescueLink. The patient gets a personalized recommendation by text or email, orders in one tap, and the product ships same day, with optional auto-ship for chronic users. Ordering questions go to providers@dryeyerescue.com or (561) 468-8747.
Do single-use vials really matter, or is multidose PF enough?
Multidose PF is enough for most. Reserve single-use vials for the most fragile surfaces, very high dosing frequency, and post-procedure care where sterility is worth the extra cost and packaging.
What do I tell a patient who keeps buying drops at a big box store?
That the shelf there is sorted by marketing, not by their surface. Sending a specific product through RescueLink keeps the recommendation accurate, keeps the refill in your practice, and stops the leak to retailers who will retarget them for a retail exam.
Stock the Right Drops, Route the Rest
Browse the drop categories at wholesale, or activate RescueLink to send the exact product to patients who run out between visits.
Continue through the Dry Eye Product Playbook
Part of the Dry Eye Product Playbook. Supplement and OTC product statements have not been evaluated to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease. Dry Eye Rescue is a distributor; confirm every drug and device claim against the current manufacturer label before relying on it.