Clinical product guide
Dry eye product comparisons built for the exam room.
When a patient asks which product is better, the honest answer depends on the eye in front of you. These tables put similar products next to each other on the handful of label details that actually change the choice.
Quick answer
Compare only what changes the pick.
Products in the same group usually differ on a few details that decide the choice. With drops it is the active, the bottle and how long it lasts once opened. Ointments split on lanolin and lens directions, hypochlorous sprays on strength and application, heat masks on how they make and hold heat, and omegas on EPA and DHA per daily serving.
In short
- A single best product rarely exists. The right one fits the patient, the ocular surface and the daily routine.
- Drops vary by active ingredient, format, open life and contact lens directions.
- Ointments vary on lanolin, which can matter for patients with sensitive skin or eyes.
- Hypochlorous sprays vary by strength, bottle size, and whether they go straight on the lid or onto a pad first.
- Keep the fast mover from each table on hand and send the alternatives through RescueLink.
Six side-by-side tables.
Pick a table to jump straight to it.
Preservative-free multidose drops
Five everyday bottles lined up on active, open life and lens use.
Lipid and emulsion drops
Four lipid formulas lined up on their oils and format.
Nighttime ointments
Three ointments lined up on ingredients and lanolin.
Hypochlorous acid sprays
Four sprays lined up on strength, bottle size and how they go on.
Heat masks
Five masks lined up on how they produce and hold heat.
Omegas
Six omegas lined up on form and on EPA and DHA per daily serving.
Top sellers at wholesale.
Ordered by units sold, so the first cards are the products practices come back for most.
Optase Intense PF Eye DropsView product
Bruder Moist Heat Compress (both eyes)View product
Optase Hylo Night PF OintmentView product
Optase MGD Advanced PF DropsView product
Optase Moist Heat Mask (microwave)View product
Optase Hylo Relief PF DropsView product
Optase Protect Hypochlorous Lid SprayView product
iVIZIA PF Lubricant Drops (10 mL)View product
Avenova Hypochlorous Lid SprayView product
PRN De3 Dry Eye Omega SoftgelsView product
OCuSOFT Retaine MGD PF (30 vials)View product
MiBo Far Infrared USB Heating PadView product
The tables.
Each attribute below is taken from the product's label.
Preservative-free multidose drops
Every bottle here is preservative-free. What separates them is the active, the bottle design and the open life.
| Product | Contact lenses | Bottle and open life | Active and key ingredients |
|---|---|---|---|
| Optase Allegro | Can be used with contact lenses | Use within 3 months of opening | Hydroxyethyl cellulose 0.35%; ectoin |
| Systane PRO PF | Check the current label | Dropper bottle; discard 30 days after opening | Propylene glycol 0.6%; sodium hyaluronate, mineral oil emulsion |
| iVIZIA | Safe with contacts | Filtered bottle; use within 90 days | Povidone 0.5%; sodium hyaluronate, trehalose |
| Optase Hylo Relief | Can be used with contact lenses | Airless pump, 300 calibrated drops; use within 6 months | Glycerin 0.25%; sodium hyaluronate |
| Optase Intense | Contact lens compatible | 300 drops; use within 3 months of opening | Glycerin 0.2%; sodium hyaluronate |
Lipid and emulsion drops
Each one carries oils meant for the lipid layer. The oil and the format are what set them apart.
| Product | Format | Oils in the formula | Actives |
|---|---|---|---|
| Systane PRO PF | Preservative-free multidose bottle | Mineral oil emulsion with sodium hyaluronate | Propylene glycol 0.6% |
| Refresh Optive Mega-3 | 30 preservative-free single-use vials | Flaxseed oil and castor oil | Carboxymethylcellulose 0.5%, glycerin 1%, polysorbate 80 0.5% |
| OCuSOFT Retaine MGD | 30 preservative-free single-dose vials | Mineral oil emulsion | Light mineral oil 0.5%, mineral oil 0.5% |
| Optase MGD Advanced | Preservative-free multidose bottle | Sacha inchi seed oil, with trehalose and sodium hyaluronate | Glycerin 0.9% |
Nighttime ointments
Each is a petrolatum and mineral oil ointment used at bedtime, and lanolin is the main point of difference.
| Product | Notes | Other ingredients | Actives |
|---|---|---|---|
| Refresh PM | Preservative-free | Lanolin alcohols | White petrolatum 57.3%, mineral oil 42.5% |
| OCuSOFT Retaine PM | No lanolin | None | White petrolatum 80%, mineral oil 20% |
| Optase Hylo Night | Preservative-free; use within 6 months of opening; not with lenses in | Retinol palmitate (vitamin A), light liquid paraffin | White petrolatum and mineral oil 91.7%, lanolin 6.9%, light mineral oil 1.4% |
Hypochlorous acid sprays
Each is a leave-on hypochlorous acid cleanser. Strength, size and application are where they part ways.
| Product | How it is applied | Size | Strength |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bruder Hygienic Eyelid Solution | 1 to 2 sprays on closed lids twice daily | 30 mL or 60 mL | 0.02% |
| OCuSOFT HypoChlor | Sprayed onto a pad, then applied to the lids | 59 mL pump spray | 0.02% |
| Avenova | Sprayed onto closed lids twice daily | 20 mL glass bottle, about 28 days at twice daily | 0.01% |
| Optase Protect | Sprayed onto closed lids twice daily, left to dry | 100 mL pump spray | 0.015% |
Heat masks
Each one warms the lids. How the heat is generated, held and used is what differs.
| Product | Notes | Session | How it heats |
|---|---|---|---|
| Eyedration by Bruder | Single use, for travel | Up to 20 minutes | Self-heating when opened; 104°F for 8 to 12 minutes |
| MiBo USB Heating Pad | No microwave needed | Timer presets | USB power; 98, 105 or 113°F with timer |
| EyeEco D.E.R.M. | Disposable cotton liners | Per directions | Microwave; silica beads |
| Optase Moist Heat Mask | Can also be used cold; straps contain latex | 10 minutes | Microwave, 25 seconds at 800 W; Hydrobead filling |
| Bruder Moist Heat Eye Compress | Reusable, latex free, hand washable | 8 to 10 minutes | Microwave; MediBeads release moisture as moist heat |
Omegas
Line them up on the oil form and on EPA and DHA per daily serving.
| Product | Form | Softgels per serving | EPA and DHA per daily serving |
|---|---|---|---|
| EyePromise EZ Tears | Triglyceride | 2 | 590 mg EPA, 440 mg DHA, with evening primrose oil, turmeric and green tea |
| MacuHealth TG Omega-3 | Re-esterified triglyceride | 4 a day for dry eye patients on the label | Equal EPA and DHA |
| Nordic Naturals ProOmega | Triglyceride | 2 | 650 mg EPA, 450 mg DHA |
| Nordic Naturals ProOmega 2000 | Triglyceride | 2 | 1,125 mg EPA, 875 mg DHA |
| Fortifeye Super Omega-3 Max | Triglyceride | 2 | 1,200 mg EPA, 900 mg DHA |
| PRN De3 | Re-esterified triglyceride | 3 | 2,240 mg (3 to 1 EPA to DHA), plus vitamin D3 |
Check each product's details against its current label.
Keep a short shelf and route the rest.
Stock the fast movers patients pick up at checkout and route everything else through RescueLink. Nothing slow sits on your shelf, and the refill comes back to your practice.
On your shelf
- The top seller from each table: Optase Intense, Optase MGD Advanced, Optase Hylo Night, Optase Protect, the Bruder compress and PRN De3
Through RescueLink
- The other products in each table
- Brands patients request by name
- Every refill on auto-ship
When a patient asks which product is better, reply with a question about their eye and their routine. The comparison that counts is the product against the patient, not one product against another.
Questions doctors ask
Why not just name the best product?
The right choice depends on the eye and the daily routine. Each table shows the details that change the decision, so you can choose by fit.
How should I compare two preservative-free drops?
Check the active, the bottle and the open life, plus the contact lens directions. Open life ranges from 30 days with Systane PRO PF to 6 months with Optase Hylo Relief.
Which ointment works for a patient sensitive to lanolin?
OCuSOFT Retaine PM contains only petrolatum and mineral oil. Refresh PM contains lanolin alcohols, and Optase Hylo Night contains lanolin.
Are all hypochlorous sprays essentially alike?
Their chemistry is similar. Strength (0.01% to 0.02%), bottle size and whether they go on the lid or a pad are what differ.
What is the best way to compare heat masks?
Look at how each one makes and holds heat, and the session length in its directions. Most patients do well with a microwave bead mask, while USB and self-heating masks suit patients with no microwave or those who want a fixed temperature.
What is the best way to compare omegas?
Total the EPA and DHA in a daily serving, check the oil form, then count the softgels it takes.
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.
Choose by fit, not by brand.
Order at wholesale, and use RescueLink to send patients the exact product between visits.