Why Your “Redness Relief” Eye Drops Aren’t Helping

Once upon a time, you probably went about most of your day, most days, not giving your eyes much thought. Like any vital organ—your heart, your lungs, your skin—your eyes just did their job without complaint.

Redness. Itchiness. Occasional blurriness. Irritation—like something’s in your eye all the time.

Suddenly, all you can think about is the fact that you have eyes. And they are angry. So you’ve been reaching for products that promise fast relief. Who wouldn’t? Dry eye is absolutely miserable!

But if you’re like most people, you now have a drugstore-sized collection of over-the-counter (OTC) eye drops. You’ve tried every “all-in-one,” “fast-acting,” “total comfort” drop out there—and nothing’s helping.

So what gives? Why are you getting only temporary relief, at best?

OTC eye drops simply can’t offer a complete solution.

 1. OTC eye drops simply can’t offer a complete solution.

Tears are a viscoelastic structure. (Viscous fluids don’t flow easily and elastic fluids expand in all directions.) They’re made of three layers, and if the quality or quantity of any of the layers is disrupted, your tear film will be unstable—which is what leads to dry eye symptoms. :

which ensures your tears “stick” to your cornea—the dome-like structure at the front of your eyeball.

solution, which keeps the surface of the eye healthy and working correctly.

which prevents tears from evaporating too quickly and ensures they’re evenly distributed across your eye’s surface.

In general, redness relief drops try to counter dry eye symptoms by increasing the amount of either oil or water. Why not both? Because, as you might recall from first-grade science class, oil and water don’t mix.

It’s simply not possible to have an “all-in-one” solution—so the best you can do is try drop after drop after drop until you find something that sorta-kinda works. It’s so frustrating!

2. OTC eye drops work against your body’s natural response to dry eye.

Let’s have a quick (promise!) physiology lesson.

At the first sign of irritation, your eyes complain to your brain—and your brain responds by expanding the tiny blood vessels in your eyes to allow more blood flow and promote natural healing. This process, called vasodilation, makes those blood vessels more visible, which is why dry eyes appear red.

Here’s the problem: The active ingredient in “redness relief” drops is a vasoconstrictor, which means it instructs those blood vessels to clamp down again—preventing the very thing your eyes need to feel and look better. But that’s not all: With extended use, the blood vessels tend to dilate more when the vasoconstrictor wears off. And so you reach for your drops again. And again. And again.

This is called rebound hyperemia, and it sets up your poor eyes for nothing but misery.

3. OTC eye drops can mask the real problem

At best, redness relief drops only treat the symptoms of dry eye without treating the underlying cause.
And because we’re talking about your vision, it’s critical to understand what’s really behind it all.

Dry eye has multiple causes. Some are specific to your eyes, such as wearing contacts or recent LASIK surgery. Others are related to your overall health, such as hormonal changes associated with menopause or certain thyroid conditions. Environmental conditions (hello, Santa Ana winds!) and work requirements (spend much time on a computer?) can also contribute to dry eye.

We know you want to look, feel, and see your best. That’s really tough to do when your eyes are red, irritated, and itchy. Life’s too short to put up with dry eye, and getting relief is easier than you think.

Even if you feel like you’ve tried everything, we can help.

Why Your “Redness Relief” Eye Drops Aren’t Helping (and might actually be hurting)

If you first experience a disaster like dry eye, the fundamental rule and recommendation would be to speak with a skilled ophthalmologist before putting anything in your eyes. Since choosing a treatment requires more pathophysiological understanding than simply purchasing the first eye drops you see.

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Staff was very personable and accommodated my needs.  Dr Benjamin was very professional and great bedside manner.  I would highly recommend the office to friend and family

Dr Benjamin and his staff are World Class and second to none! I been bringing my mother to see Dr Benjamin and just recently became a patient myself. If you want to extend the quality of your vision and therefore the quality of your life, go see Dr Benjamin!

Class One from A to Z. Each and everyone from the doctor, optometrists, front office and back office, are professional, super knowledgeable, detailed, and very kind. The office is most elegant with beautiful lighting , equipment and furniture. The glass frames are  the most beautiful you will ever see.

An awesome experience as is the norm for our visits to Dr Benjamin. We have trusted him and his office with our multiple surgeries and care for many years, and plan to continue forward. Thank you Dr Benjamin, and your staff.

I’ve been going to Dr. Benjamin for years. He is straight-up honest, very patient in explaining, thorough, extremely experienced and is a Top Pro in his biz. I went to him for my eyeglass prescriptions for years, and then eventually had multifocal lens surgery in both of my eyes. All went great and to plan! His staff are extremely courteous, friendly, and very helpful. I’ve never done this at a doctors office, but I actually complement his staff in person often. I highly recommend this office. 100%

Great front desk and tech staff. The doctor was super nice and I’m so pleased I found this eye institute! Everyone was great and happy to finally have taken care of an appointment I had been putting off for a while. Great check-in process also for first time patients.

⭐️ My review of LASIK after one year ⭐️I told Dr. Benjamin I would do this a while ago, but I kind of feel like it says a lot I have kept this on my checklist for a year. I feel like a year is a good amount of time to review a procedure like this and give my honest thoughts and recommendation.So, let me tell you about my journey to getting LASIK and how I ended up in the amazing care of Dr. Benjamin. After going to an optometrist for years and him advising against LASIK because of my genetically dry eyes, I finally got a second opinion from an ophthalmologist (Dr. Benjamin). I didn’t know the difference between an optometrist vs. opthalmologist, but once I learned it kind of made sense why my optometrist didn’t want me getting LASIK lol. Because he couldn’t sell me on contact lenses or glasses for the foreseeable future if I got my vision corrected :) I mean, who knows, but I am glad I got a second opinion.I figured being in Los Angeles with some of the best doctors in the world… if anyone is going to touch my big, blue eyeballs, might as well get it done while I’m here. I found this business due to the reviews and they seemed to really know what they were doing and how to talk to clients.Upon meeting Dr. Benjamin he told me that I wasn’t a candidate for LASIK with my dry eyes, but he could put me through treatments for dry eyes and reevaluate after; and that these treatments had a good success rate for most.So, I started doing two treatments every other week for about 2.5 months - IPL laser treatment and Lipiflow. Lipiflow, especially, was a weird painless experience but highly recommend anyone with dry eyes to ask about it regardless of LASIK. I could tell my eyes felt way less dry a couple days after each treatment. There are videos on YouTube that talk about this treatment… Who knew this stuff existed. I’m not gonna lie, it’s an investment to do all these treatments on top of LASIK, but my eyes rarely feel dry anymore so if you’re going to get it done - do it right.Finally, I was approved for LASIK. I ended up waiting until the end of year to make sure I saved up the funds to do it and had some time to heal. I also took advantage of an end of year deal they were offering. $1000 off was a pretty nice forcing function to get me to finally do it after prepping my eyes with the treatments. The procedure itself I couldn’t feel anything even though I was awake the entire time (medicated). Even the scary part when bubbles form on your eyes Dr. Benjamin let me know about in advance so when it happened I just went with the flow. I think the worst part was the recovery the few days after and coming home drugged up lol. I remember day 1 thinking omg what did I do to my eyes. My eyes just hurt and felt weird, but omg I could see 20/15 immediately. And then, day by day it gradually got better. It took a few weeks for my eyes to heal, but after 1 month you couldn’t even tell I had surgery. One eye was a bit more bloodshot than the other.I can see 20/15. It’s been life changing for the past year not having to worry about contacts or glasses. I just got married and was able to walk down the aisle with clear vision. I only wish I had the means to have done this earlier in life. If you’re considering it - do it! And definitely consider Dr. Benjamin to do it right.Lastly, to continue treating my dry eyes, Dr. Benjamin gave me an extra LipiFlow treatment, and also recommended I try punctal plugs (painless plugs inserted into your lids that help your tears last longer). He placed the plugs in my eyes under 5 mins. Wild.I heard from people during the LASIK process they have been nervous to get the procedure so I wrote this to help and because I think highly of this business for changing my life. And, some of the dry eye treatments I would’ve never known about had it not been for them. Again, I wish I would have had been able to do this years ago. It is so, so worth it!Thank you, Dr. Benjamin (and staff!)

Concerned about a reoccurring virus, I text Dr Benjamin’s office first thing in the morning seeking immediate advice and an appointment. In quick time I received both sage advice and a same day appointment. Dr B takes a personal interest in his patients well being and has diligent, competent and attentive staff to support the care and support needed. Can’t speak highly enough.

Hi all! 06/06/2024 I came to the office of Dr. with a problem in my right eye. Benjamin, I'm sorry...as a very nice girl from the office, Masha, told me, he was undergoing surgery.  She advised me to come urgently in the morning. I suffered from pain for 4 days, my eye was very swollen, red and itchy. 07/06/2024 after examining me Dr. Benjamin made an emergency decision to remove the pus in his right eye. The small operation lasted 10 minutes, Dr. Benjamin and Dr. Svetlana masterfully removed the pus. My torment is finally over! Thank you to the entire team at Benjamin Eye Institute. You are the best, true professionals in your field. I wish you further success and good luck in your very necessary and difficult work! You give people a new stage of life! Thank you for that!

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One of the things that sets the Benjamin Eye Institute apart from other ophthalmology practices is their team of experienced and highly trained surgeons. The surgeons at the Benjamin Eye Institute have performed thousands of cataract and LASIK surgeries, and have a wealth of experience in these procedures. They are committed to providing the best possible care for their patients and strive to achieve excellent outcomes.

Dr. Benjamin and his staff were amazing. Everyone was friendly and professional! I didn’t feel rushed during my appointment and Dr. Benjamin  took the time to explain everything and answer questions. His assistant who helped in doing all of the eye tests was great, too! Happy to have found a great eye doctor!

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My experience at Benjamin Eye Institute was exceptional.  I’m not sure if I’ve ever encountered such an efficient and professional staff in a doctor’s office.  The front desk was communicative and everyone up to the doctor was beyond detailed in their care.  I would recommend this place to anyone who has eye problems because they have the most advanced equipment and Dr. Benjamin is caring, thorough and knowledgeable.

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Immediately after  cataract surgery, I can see my husband’s face accross the room for the first time in 40 years! No more glasses since childhood, both distance and close up. If you are thinking, should you spend the big bucks to see everything both near and far?  I can tell you it’s so worth it! Thank you Dr. Benjamin and all the wonderful people in your office! I appreciate your efficiency, attentiveness, professionalism and welcoming space! Please feel free to use me as a reference any time!

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Top notch service and staff! By far the best experience I’ve had at a doctors office in 20 years. I wish every office was as well trained, friendly, and professional as Benjamin Eye Institute. Seriously if you have eye problems you won’t find a better doctor.

More than everything I value professional people. Dr. Arthur Benjamin is one of them. He is taking care of me and my husband for pretty long time. All I can say we are very thankful to the doctor and people who work as a team to make us healthy and happy !

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I am so happy and grateful that I have Dr. Benjamin to help me and show me how to take care of my eyes.Dr. Benjamin preformed life changing procedures a few years ago that gave me an amazing view of the world each and every day I awake and open my eyes.Thank you, Doctor.

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