Optrex activist eyelid refreshing spray

[hannibalsmith]

http://www.expressche...timist_eye_spray.html

Has anyone used this, does it work? 11.99 seems a bit expensive there must be a cheaper alterative?

[Buenchico]

Hmmm.

The ingredients include:

1. Soy lecithin, which gets some bad press in some quarters:
http://www.westonapri...Sludge-to-Profit.html

2. Sodium chloride = good old common salt, like you put on your chips.

3. Ethanol = alcohol (of the type you find in booze)

4. Phenoxyethanol, which some people are concerned about:
http://www.cosmeticsd...nt.php?ingred06=70481

and 5. almost insignificant amount of vitamins A and E.

Proprietary eye drops would be far cheaper (and far more efficient at lubricating the interface between the eyeball and eyelid). Baby oil would be better for lubricating the skin on the outer eyelids.

Chris

[birdie1971]

This stuff is sprayed directly onto your eyelids, yes?

Good God. The gullibility of people will never cease to amaze me.

Spraying this product onto your eyelids cannot possibly “... improve the hydration of the eye...”. It is a biological, chemical and physical impossibility. Water cannot pass through your skin – it's one of the really handy properties of skin that when you're submerged in water, you don't absorb it and expand like a sponge.

“Clinically proven to improve the hydration of the eye.” - I'd love to see the study. I wonder if they'll publish it in a reputable scientific journal.... ?

“Safe to use with Contact Lenses” - because it doesn't actually do anything.
“100 doses - suitable for everyday use” - because it doesn't actually do anything.
“No need to dispose of after 28 days” - because it's effectively just water.


A cheaper alternative is to splash water onto your closed eyes. It won't do anything, but it might make you feel a bit happier.

[Buenchico]

I'm pleased that Birdie1971 raised that point.

I was struggling to see how any fluid on the eyelids could moisturise the eyes. I'm aware that human skin is permeable to some substances (otherwise, for example, nicotine patches wouldn't work) but I couldn't see anything in the list of ingredients which could pass through the skin. I was trying to think of a way in which the spray could stimulate the tear ducts (so that the additional moisture would come from the user's own body, rather than directly from the spray) but I still couldn't see how it would work.

Like Birdie1971, I'm sceptical about the product's claims and I'd love to see the studies which 'prove' its benefits.

Chris

[ummmm]

The doctors do not prescribe them....I wonder why..!!

[boxtops]

I looked this product when it came out because I suffer a lot with dry eyes and have drops from optician/GP. However i was completely put off by the price - nearly £15 per spray! - so I never tried it. Sounds as if it was just as well!

[Robinia]

Yes it was £15 when I saw it too! Occasionally I use Hypromellose eye drops which cost less than £2 (from the medicine counter). I have sensitive eyes & have been ok using them but I don't think it's a good idea to use anything in your eyes all the time unless there's a good reason for it.

[carlton23]

ummmmm, Doctor Chris Steele, whom is the TV doctor recomends it on the home page of Virgin Media.

[ummmm]

Is he sponsored?

[redman41]

I have foolishly bought it and what the other posters on here say makes more sense really.
It is expensive, not really worth it and ordinary eye drops are a better alternative.

[scraggy55]

my son used this last year when his hayfever was bad - he hates putting drops in his eyes. He said it was really good - yes, pricey but it lasted him ages.

[smurfchops]

I use Viscotears for dry eyes, it is a cooling gel and I use it before going to bed. good luck.

[york310]

This doesn't work by passing through the lid but uses the natural stop mechanism of the lid margin to help the solution to pass to the surface of the eyes. It actually works quite well in this manner.

Pros
- easy to apply
- preservative free so less prone to irritation and does not only last one month like other artificial tear drops.

cons
- expensive compared to other treatments. Although other preservative single use such as celluvisc drops are also very expensive and these are available on prescription and are commonly prescribed by ophthalmologists.
- not as long lasting as other tear supplements such as gel based ones like viscotears.