Dry eye · eye drops
Best eye drops for dry eyes (UK): which type suits you
There is no single best drop. There is a best drop for your kind of dry eye, and many people are using the wrong kind. How to choose from a pharmacy shelf, how to use them, and when drops are not the answer.
By Sohail Khan, Optometrist and Director, who has dry eye himself · Checked by Abra Arshad, Optometrist and Clinical Director · Updated 13 October 2026 · 11 min read
The best eye drop for dry eyes depends on why your eyes are dry. For most people the problem is a missing oil layer, so a drop or spray that adds oil helps more than a watery one. For eyes that don’t make enough tears, a longer-lasting lubricant such as hyaluronate suits better, with a gel or ointment at night. Choose preservative-free if you use drops more than four times a day. If you need drops more than six to eight times a day, the cause needs treating, not just the symptom.
On this page
- First: which kind of dry eye do you have?
- The types of drop in a UK pharmacy
- Preservative-free: when it matters
- Eye drops for dry eyes with contact lenses
- Drops for red eyes: a word of caution
- What I wish I’d known about drops
- How to use eye drops properly
- Prescription eye drops for dry eyes in the UK
- When drops are not enough
- When to get help, and when you don’t need us
- Questions people ask
First: which kind of dry eye do you have?
Your tear film has three layers. A thin layer of mucus helps the tears stick to the eye. A watery layer, made by the tear glands, keeps the surface wet. On top is a very thin layer of oil from the glands in your eyelids, which stops the water evaporating between blinks.
Dry eye comes in two main types, and most people have some of both:
- Evaporative dry eye is the most common. There is enough water, but the oil layer is poor because the glands in the lids are blocked (meibomian gland dysfunction, or MGD). The tears dry up in seconds. Typical signs: gritty, burning eyes, worse on screens and by evening, often watering outdoors.
- Aqueous-deficient dry eye means not enough watery tear is made. It is more common with age, some medicines, the menopause and conditions such as Sjögren’s. Typical signs: eyes that feel dry and sore all day, sometimes with a dry mouth.
The drop that helps one type does much less for the other. That is why so many people say “I’ve tried every drop and none of them work”: they have usually tried several of the same kind. If you aren’t sure what is behind yours, what causes dry eyes explains the main reasons, most common first.
The types of drop in a UK pharmacy
Pharmacy shelves look confusing, but almost every product is one of these. Look at the ingredients on the box rather than the brand name.
| Type | Common ingredients | Best for |
|---|---|---|
| Simple watery drops | Hypromellose, carmellose, polyvinyl alcohol | Mild, occasional dryness. Cheap, but wear off quickly |
| Longer-lasting drops | Sodium hyaluronate (hyaluronic acid), sometimes with trehalose | Everyday dryness and low tear volume. Cling to the eye for longer |
| Oil-based drops and sprays | Lipid emulsions, liposomal sprays, perfluorohexyloctane | Evaporative dry eye and blocked oil glands, which is most dry eye |
| Gels | Carbomer | Longer relief; blur the vision for a few minutes |
| Night ointments | Paraffin-based | Bedtime only, especially for eyes that are worst on waking |
Which to try first
- Gritty, burning, worse on screens and by evening: an oil-based drop or spray, alongside warmth on the lids. Our guide to eye drops for blocked oil glands (MGD) explains the oil-based options in more detail.
- Dry and sore all day, little watering: a preservative-free hyaluronate drop, used regularly rather than only when it hurts.
- Worst first thing in the morning: a gel or ointment at bedtime. See dry eyes in the morning for the other reasons.
- Mixed, or not sure: many people do well with an oil-based drop in the day and a gel at night.
Give any new drop two to three weeks, used regularly, before you judge it. Dry eye changes from day to day, so one good or bad day tells you little.
Preservative-free: when it matters
Preservatives stop bacteria growing in a multi-use bottle once it is open. The problem is that some preservatives, especially one called benzalkonium chloride, irritate the surface of the eye when used often. That is the opposite of what a dry eye needs.
The rule we give patients: if you use drops more than four times a day, use preservative-free. Many are now in multi-dose bottles with a special valve, so they don’t have to be single-use vials. If you use drops for something else as well, for example glaucoma drops, ask your optometrist or GP before adding anything.
Eye drops for dry eyes with contact lenses
If you wear contact lenses, use only drops that say on the box they are suitable for use with lenses. These are often sold as “rewetting” or “comfort” drops. Most are preservative-free, watery or hyaluronate drops.
- Don’t use gels or ointments with lenses in. They smear the lens and blur your vision.
- Oil-based drops are best used before you put the lenses in or after you take them out, unless the box says they are lens-safe.
- If your lenses feel dry by lunchtime most days, a drop is only part of the answer. The lens type, the solution and your lid edges all matter. Read why contact lenses dry out.
A red, painful eye while wearing lenses is not a job for drops. Take the lens out, leave it out, and get seen the same day.
Drops for red eyes: a word of caution
Some drops sold for “tired, red eyes” contain a decongestant that shrinks the small blood vessels on the eye so it looks whiter. They work for a few hours, but used regularly the eyes can turn redder when they wear off, so you use more. They do nothing for dryness.
If your eyes are red because they are dry, a good lubricant usually brings the redness down on its own. If redness is new, in one eye, painful or with blurred vision, don’t mask it with drops: see red eye: when to worry. Red, crusty lid edges are usually blepharitis, which drops alone won’t settle.
Tried every drop on the shelf?
Every treatment starts with a free consultation with one of our optometrists, in person or on the phone. We talk through what you have tried, which type of dry eye it sounds like, and if treatment isn’t right for you, we say so before anything starts.
What I wish I’d known about drops
I have dry eye myself. It is the reason I stopped wearing contact lenses, and the reason laser eye surgery was never an option for me. I have stood in front of the same pharmacy shelf as everyone else.
What changed things for me was understanding that a drop does the job your tears should be doing, for as long as it lasts. If you need it every hour, the drop isn’t failing. It is telling you the cause hasn’t been dealt with.
How to use eye drops properly
Most people put drops in too quickly and lose half of them down the cheek. This way more of each drop stays on the eye:
- Wash your hands. Don’t let the tip of the bottle touch your eye, lashes or fingers.
- Tilt your head back, look up, and gently pull the lower lid down to make a small pocket.
- Put one drop into the pocket. One is enough: the eye can’t hold more.
- Close your eyes gently for a minute or two. Don’t blink hard or squeeze.
- Pressing lightly on the inner corner of the eye, beside the nose, for a minute helps the drop stay on the eye instead of draining away.
- If you use more than one kind of drop, leave about five minutes between them, and use gels or ointments last.
Sprays that go on closed lids are different: follow the instructions on the box, usually held about 10 cm from closed eyes.
Prescription eye drops for dry eyes in the UK
For mild dry eye, the NHS expects most people to buy lubricants from a pharmacy, and many GPs won’t prescribe them. For dry eye that stays severe despite good lubricants and lid care, doctors have other options. These are prescribed by a GP or, more often, started by an eye specialist:
- Ciclosporin drops, which calm the inflammation behind severe dry eye. Usually started by a hospital eye specialist.
- Short courses of mild steroid drops for a flare-up of inflammation, used only under medical supervision because of side effects with long use.
- Antibiotic ointment or tablets when inflamed lids are driving the dryness.
- Drops made from your own blood (serum drops), for the most severe cases, through hospital eye departments.
We don’t prescribe ourselves, but if we think you need a prescription treatment we can write to your GP with what we have found.
When drops are not enough
Drops sit on top of the eye. If the cause is blocked oil glands or inflamed lids, the drop is standing in for the oil for half an hour, then evaporating. That is why so many people end up using drops eight or ten times a day and still feel gritty.
Signs it is time to treat the cause:
- You need drops more than six to eight times a day, or they help for less than an hour
- You have tried two or three different types for a few weeks each
- Your lid edges are red or crusty, or you keep getting styes
- Contact lenses have become uncomfortable, or your eyes affect your work, driving or sleep
Warmth and lid care at home come first: see how to do a warm compress properly. When glands stay blocked, they can be cleared in clinic: MGD treatment explains how. For eyes that simply don’t make enough tears, tiny plugs can keep your own tears on the eye for longer. Every treatment and its price is on our dry eye clinic page.
When to get help, and when you don’t need us
Don’t treat these with drops. Get seen the same day:
- A painful eye, especially just one
- Vision that has dropped and doesn’t clear when you blink
- Strong light sensitivity, or a very red eye
- A red, painful eye while wearing contact lenses
- Anything splashed or hit into the eye
Call any of our practices for an urgent appointment, or NHS 111. If it is severe and you can’t reach anyone, go to A&E. The full list is in our urgent eye signs.
When you don’t need us: if a preservative-free drop a few times a day keeps you comfortable, and your eyes are fine most of the time, carry on. That is what drops are for.
When it is worth coming in: if you are reaching for drops all day, have tried several kinds without much change, or your eyes are getting worse year on year.
Questions people ask
What are the best eye drops for dry eyes in the UK?
There is no single best one. For gritty, burning eyes that are worse on screens, an oil-based drop or spray usually helps most. For eyes that feel dry all day, a preservative-free hyaluronate drop. A gel or ointment at night if your eyes are worst on waking.
How often can I use eye drops for dry eyes?
Preservative-free lubricants can be used as often as you need. If you need them more than six to eight times a day, or they last less than an hour, the cause needs looking at rather than more drops.
Can I use eye drops with contact lenses?
Only drops labelled as suitable for contact lenses, usually preservative-free watery or hyaluronate drops. Put gels, ointments and most oil-based drops in before lenses go in or after they come out.
Can you use too many eye drops?
Preservative-free lubricants are very safe, even used often. Drops with preservatives can irritate the eye if used more than about four times a day, and redness-relief drops can make eyes redder with regular use.
Will my GP prescribe eye drops for dry eyes?
For mild dry eye, usually not: the NHS expects lubricants to be bought from a pharmacy. For severe or inflamed dry eye, a GP or eye specialist may prescribe stronger treatments such as ciclosporin.
- The best drop depends on why your eyes are dry
- Most dry eye is a missing oil layer, so oil-based drops often help more than watery ones
- Use preservative-free if you need drops more than four times a day
- With contact lenses, only use drops that say they are lens-safe
- If you need drops all day, treat the cause: usually blocked oil glands or inflamed lids
Want to know which drop suits your eyes?
Most people start with EyeRelief, and it starts with a free consultation, at any of our five practices: Cheadle, Heald Green, Middleton, Winsford and Heckmondwike. No referral needed.
- Jones L et al. TFOS DEWS II Management and Therapy Report. The Ocular Surface, 2017.
- NICE Clinical Knowledge Summaries: Dry eye disease.
- NHS England. Conditions for which over the counter items should not routinely be prescribed in primary care (mild dry eyes), 2018.
- NHS. Dry eyes. nhs.uk/symptoms/dry-eyes.
- Craig JP et al. TFOS DEWS II Definition and Classification Report. The Ocular Surface, 2017.