Clinical product guide
Lubricant drops, gels and ointments chosen for the surface in the chair.
A drop that seems to fail is usually just the wrong match for that surface. Preservative status, lipid content and viscosity narrow the field quickly, and every product on this page is a steady reorder at wholesale.
Quick answer
Start with what is failing.
Low tear volume often responds well to a preservative-free hyaluronate drop like iVIZIA or Optase Intense. With MGD or rapid breakup, many patients do well on a lipid drop such as Retaine MGD or Optase MGD Advanced. When symptoms are worst on waking, patients often report relief with Hylo Night at bedtime.
In short
- Aqueous loss and rapid breakup tend to show up together, so plenty of patients use one aqueous drop and one lipid drop.
- Preservative-free is often the better fit for frequent dosers, lens wearers, compromised surfaces and patients already using preserved glaucoma drops.
- Gels and ointments stay on the eye longer at the cost of some blur, which is why ointments are mostly a bedtime option.
- Lens directions differ from label to label. Some drops can go in with lenses, while gels and ointments need lenses out.
- A short shelf of three or four fast movers handles most walk-outs, and RescueLink covers everything else.
Six groups on the lubricant shelf.
Each group links to a top seller, so you can check the formula, pack size and wholesale price.
Preservative-free bottles
A preservative-free formula in a bottle patients carry through the day, kept sterile by a filtered or valved tip.
Preservative-free vials
Opened, used once and thrown away, so there is no need for a preservative.
Lipid and emulsion drops
Formulas that carry an oil, such as mineral oil, flaxseed and castor oil or sacha inchi seed oil, to support the lipid layer.
Gels
Heavier formulas with longer contact time and a short blur after each dose.
Nighttime ointments
A petrolatum and mineral oil ointment placed as a strip inside the lower lid at bedtime, since it blurs vision.
All top sellers
The lubricants practices reorder most, lined up in one row so formulas are easy to compare.
Top sellers at wholesale.
Ordered by units sold, so the first cards are the lubricants practices come back for most.
Optase Intense PF Eye Drops (10 mL)View product
Optase Hylo Night PF Ointment (5 g)View product
Optase MGD Advanced PF Eye DropsView product
Optase Hylo Relief PF Eye DropsView product
iVIZIA PF Lubricant Eye Drops (10 mL)View product
Optase Allegro Eye Drops (10 mL)View product
Oasis Tears Plus PF Vials (30)View product
OCuSOFT Retaine MGD PF Vials (30)View product
iVIZIA Lubricant Eye Gel Vials (30)View product
Oasis Tears PF Vials (30)View product
Refresh Optive Mega-3 PF Vials (30)View product
OCuSOFT Retaine PM Ointment (5 g)View product
Common patterns and where to start.
A first choice for the patterns seen most often, then adjusted to the surface in the chair.
| Pattern | Often helps | Reach for |
|---|---|---|
| Everyday or aqueous-deficient dryness | Preservative-free sodium hyaluronate drops through the day | Oasis Tears Plus, iVIZIA, Optase Hylo Relief, Optase Intense |
| MGD and evaporative dry eye | Lipid or emulsion drops | Systane PRO PF, Refresh Optive Mega-3, OCuSOFT Retaine MGD, Optase MGD Advanced |
| Contact lens wear | Drops with lens directions on the label | Optase MGD Advanced, Optase Hylo Relief, Optase Intense, iVIZIA |
| Delicate surface, very frequent dosing | Single-use vials, a fresh one for each dose | Refresh Optive Mega-3 vials, Optase Intense vials, Oasis Tears Plus vials |
| Moderate to severe symptoms | A gel for longer contact time | iVIZIA Lubricant Eye Gel |
| Symptoms on waking, night exposure | An ointment at bedtime | Refresh PM, OCuSOFT Retaine PM, Optase Hylo Night |
Use these as a place to begin. Check the lens and preservative directions on each label before recommending a product.
Keep a short shelf and route the rest.
Stock the fast movers patients pick up at checkout and send everything else through RescueLink. Nothing slow sits on your shelf, and the refill comes back to your practice.
On your shelf
- A preservative-free multidose drop. Optase Intense sells the most.
- A lipid drop, for example Optase MGD Advanced
- A bedtime ointment, for example Optase Hylo Night
- A box of preservative-free vials for delicate surfaces
Through RescueLink
- Specialty formulas and bigger pack sizes
- Brands patients request by name
- Every refill, with auto-ship for long-term users
Before switching molecules for a patient whose drops have stopped helping, find out which bottle they use and how many times a day. Frequent doses of a preserved drop can keep an irritated surface inflamed, and a preservative-free version of a similar drop is often the easiest next step. The same check is worth making for glaucoma patients on preserved drops.
Questions doctors ask
When is it time to switch a patient to preservative-free?
When dosing climbs past a few times a day, when lenses are involved, or when the surface is already compromised. Each dose from a preserved bottle adds more preservative to that surface.
How do I decide between a lipid drop and an aqueous drop?
Start from what is failing. MGD and rapid breakup tend to point toward a lipid or emulsion drop, and low tear volume toward a hyaluronate drop. Many patients have both, and they often do well with one drop in the morning and the other later in the day.
Can gels and ointments be used during the day?
Ointments are mostly a bedtime option because of the blur. Gels sit in the middle. iVIZIA Lubricant Eye Gel is labeled as particularly suited for severe dry eye or nighttime use, and some patients are happy using a gel by day once they accept a few seconds of blur.
Which of these drops are labeled for contact lens wear?
iVIZIA drops, Optase Intense, Optase Hylo Relief and Optase MGD Advanced carry lens directions on the label. With iVIZIA Lubricant Eye Gel, lenses come out and stay out for at least 30 minutes afterward, and Optase Hylo Night is not used with lenses in.
How long is a preservative-free bottle good after opening?
It depends on the bottle: 3 months for Optase Intense and Optase MGD Advanced, 90 days for iVIZIA, 6 months for Optase Hylo Relief, and 30 days for Systane PRO PF.
How many lubricants does a practice need on the shelf?
Three or four usually handle most walk-outs: a preservative-free multidose drop, a lipid drop, a bedtime ointment and a box of vials. The rest can be routed through RescueLink.
How do patients refill between visits?
Send the exact product through RescueLink. The patient receives it by text or email, orders in one tap and can turn on auto-ship. For ordering help, call 1-855-692-8024.
References (1)
- Craig JP, Nichols KK, Akpek EK, et al. TFOS DEWS II Definition and Classification Report. Ocul Surf. 2017;15(3):276-283. PubMed
Clinical review
Reviewed by the Medical Advisory Panel, a group of eye care professionals who focus on dry eye and ocular surface disease. Vision Rescue is a licensed pharmaceutical wholesale distributor.
Notes and disclosures
Written for licensed eye care professionals. This guide does not replace clinical diagnosis or treatment, and every decision stays with the treating provider. The groupings and patient-fit notes are a framework only. Use each product according to its current label.
Put the right drops on the shelf.
Order at wholesale, and use RescueLink to send patients the exact product between visits.