Why use preservative free eye drops?

Preservatives in eye drops should be avoided as they may worsen the patient’s condition. This applies particularly to patients with moderate and severe dry eye, who may have to use eye drops quite frequently.

TFOS DEWS II Report

The new DEWSII report issued in July 2017 has this to say about preservatives (Section 2.1.1.1.5. Preservatives): “Chronic exposure of the ocular surface to preservatives is now well recognized to induce toxicity and adverse changes to the ocular surface…preservative-free drops may be a better choice for patients who have pre-existing ocular surface conditions and/or need frequent instillation of eye drops…. Preservative-free eye drops have shown greater effectiveness than preserved drops in decreasing inflammation on the ocular surface and increasing the antioxidant contents in tears of patients with DED.”