Optrex eye drops containing benzalkonium chloride

Eye care
1

Hi all,

I was searching for remedies for blepharitis when I stumbled across this site. I have recently started using Optrex refreshing eye drops and they seem to really help. I see people are talking about benzalkonium chloride and lo and behold when I checked the ingredients of these eye drops, they have this in them.

So I thought I'd just mention that this is a product designed specifically for the eyes that contains this substance.

The box says "Refreshing eyedrops for tired eyes" and the "for tired eyes" is on a green background.

Just for reference, my condition isn't too bad, I just get inflamed eye lids and a "burning" sensation in my eyes and I need to keep blinking constantly. It's more annoying than anything else. I do the usual eye cleaning and warming but these eye drops are certainly helping as well.

Hope that helps

Neil

2

Dear Neil,

I was able to kill Blepharitis and so was a friend of mine. She used a Avon Facial Scrub with Benzethonium Chloride in it. It had moved up onto her eyelids (where women put eyeshadow). It was ugly.

When I got it I could not find that product for sale any longer with that ingredient in it.

I went on the internet and found that Wet Ones, antibacterial hand wipes had it in it.

I used them on my eyelash area for several months and got relief right away using them.

If a person is allergic to shampoo or detergents or fabric softners they should not try these.

Honjon on this site used a hand wipe with the Benzalkonium Chloride in them.

The trouble is that they tell you to put it in your eyes. Put it on your eyelash area and rim of lashes and see how you feel. I told the Dr. and he told me that some gets on the lashes.

The handwipes are probably a stronger %. I found a Patent that was in 1966 that used these ammonium salts or compounds in them for the eye. I have also looked up toxic reports. Just google the words and you will see how they work and why. If you need that info let me know.

Hope this information helps you.

Lynda79

3

Hi Neil and Lynda

Neil......I was going to get eye drops today when out and I saw your post before I left so

thought anything is worth a try ......I've bought them and used them once.....how often do

you use them....as needed or just once a day?????....it doesn't seem to say.

Mine are slightly different.......as well as being sore and inflamed they are crusty around the lids.....above and below the eye and when I waken one eye in particular is almost closed

before I go through the hygiene routine.

Where are you from....I'm in the UK

Let me know how you get on with it.

Eileen

4

Morning Neil & everyone who follows this topic. Really interesting to read about the Optrex - I will definitely give it a try, thank you.

My eyes are just watery and kind of tired - on and off - during the day, but at night is when I really suffer. I do have Lacrilube prescribed by my Dr and I have to use that before I go to sleep or I just wouldn't sleep at all. The pain and discomfort is really awful and I never have a good night's sleep anymore.

So I will use the Optrex in the evening and see if that helps. Does anyone else experience my problem - please would you let me know? Many thanks - good to contact people who understand and know what you are talking about!

5

judith8888, when my case was at its worst it was similar for me... I had this horrible itching that prevented me from sleeping many nights.

6

Dear Judith,

If the medicine has Benzalkonium Chloride in it and it is safe for putting in the eye why not put it on the actual itching problem, the eyelashes and rim of the eye. You will be amazed how it stops the itching.

You have nothing to lose but the itch. I have been where you are and killed the Blepharitis.

You can wear make up and kill it at the same time. If you need that info let me know.

Hope this information helps you.

Lynda79

7

Good morning all - Neil and Lynda79 in particular. Thank you so much for the recommendation about the Optrex Refreshing eye drops. It was you Lynda, who suggested just putting the drops kind of on the eye lid very close the the lashes - and I can't believe it but this really helps so much. Thank you again for taking the time to reply - it means a lot. All the very best, Judith.

8

Hi Neil, Lynda & Natalie

This is my first post but I've been following your discussion for some time! I was diagnosed with Blepharitis last summer and I have had antibiotics both oral & drops, I've done ALL the recommended procedures meticulously but my eyes continue to look swollen & discoloured. They tire very easily [ just writing this on screen will make them sore!] They ache, feel gritty , feel dry,itch& water.

I have had rare days where I think I might be seeing an improvement but then the next day they're worse. I use Hylo forte eye drops which do help the dryness a little but on the strength of what I've read here I got some of the Pptrex drops & have put one drop in each eye morning & night & also cleaned the lashes/eye rims with them too. This morning my eyelids are definitely not as swollen & again I'm hoping beyond hope that this might signal an improvement.........pleeeeease!!!

I noticed that several brands of eye drops contain Benzalkonium Chloride though none of them say how much. I would think that the Wet Ones may contain more than the drops but the drops seemed a safer option to try first.

Thank you all so much for passing in this information & I'lllet you all know how get on after a few more days!! Hoe you all continue to see improvement. Marjorie

9

Dear Marjorie and Judith,

The eye drops that use BAK (Benzalkonium Chloride as a preservative) I found it to be .01%. The Wet Ones antibacterial handwipes are .03%. The difference is you don't put them into the eye only on the affected area such as eyelashes and bottom rim of eyelid.

This week I was looking up the the preservative in Optive which was Purite (ggogled it). I found that most eye medicine and eyedrops have been using BAK for years. Here's a quote from that info.

"BAK does an excellent job of inhibiting bacterial growth, but its detergent nature causes short- and long-term side effects."

This is especially true if persons use more than one med with it in it. Two points to be made here. One is why put it in the eye. Kill it where it is--on the eyelashes, etc. It only takes a few months and not all your life. You need only to use eyedrops for lubrication.

Second I found that Purite may not do what it is should do if you have dry eyes. That's us. It is to vanish when it hits your eyes.

Good news! There are 2 products for the eye drops (lubricatiion ones) that use no preservatives.

REFRESH ENDURA and REFRESH PLUS.

If the doctors put .01% in your eye why not try .03% on the outside of your eye to kill it. That is if you are not allergic to shampoo, handwipes, detergents or fabric softners or spermicidal jellies. Two of us no longer have this and Honjon on this site used a different handwipe and is killing it because it is an ammonium salt or compound too. Please look at his information.

Just google Optive and Purite and you can find this info too. This BAK is in the steriods too at .01% except for FML Forte (fluorometholone 0.25%) which was only .005%.

Hope this information helps you.

Lynda79

10

Good morning Lynda79 - WOW - what a super post, thank you so much and for taking the time to give all that info. I'm going on holiday on Monday so will do all the Googling! when I come home!

My problem started just after my trip this time last year to Sri Lanka. I blamed all the air con and humidity and my Dr seems to agree (but not entirely - the coincidence is too obvious for me not to think positively) so this holiday I am going to Abu Dhabi where there will be less humidity but still the need for air con.

Maybe I should just walk around and sleep with an eye mask on!! Only joking, but I will be really careful and take my Optrex with me too. Thank you again and will be in touch when I come home. Bye for now, Judith

11

Hi Lynda - well I'm back from holidays and must say my eyes have behaved really well!! I use the lacrilube every night before going to sleep and am nervous not to use it as it is at night when my eyes are painful.  However, I must say I've been using a lot less lately so that's got to be good.  As you suggested I've been putting the Optrex on my eyelids every morning (on closed eyes) and maybe again later if I remember.  I am certain that has helped and my eyes are the best they've been for over a year.  Thank you all once again, for the help advice and support - it's been a wonderful experience being able to discuss a horrible problem with people who understand.  All the best, Judith.

12

Dear Judith,

You should give the hand wipes a try as they killed the Blepharitis for me.

Honjon jused the UK ones and they are killing it for him too.

Just takes a few months and it willbe gone. It is bacterial or else these wipes would not work. My friend used a facial scrub with Benzethonium Chloride in it and killed it for her. They no longer make it that way so I ended up using the wipes with that ingredient in it (Benzethonium Chloride) in them.

I was able to wear mascara and kill it at the same time. If you need that info let me know. Two people using 2 different products with Benzethonium Chloride in it have Blepharitis no longer. Others using the other wipes (UK) are doing the same.

Hope you give it a try as it is killable.

Thinking of you,

Lynda79

13

Hi Neil Lynda etc

my daughter yesterday was diagnosed with blepharitis.? We are from Sydney Australia . She had been complaining for the last week with pressure in the right eye and the light was starting to effect her . We went yo our gp on Thursday he prescribed drops. These did not help so yesterday we went off to the eye hospital in Sydney. After hours of waiting we finally got yo see a dr who examined my daughter and said that she has like gravel across both eyes and that it is blephritis. Then he asked for a second opinion from another colleague who did not openly say it was. Anyway they sent us home with he baby shampoo eye wash and or the bi carb soda eye wash yo be done twice per day plus celluvisc lubricant eye drops 1 drop in each eye every hour for 7 days and also lacrilube which I discovered today that it has been discontinued in Australia so I was given poly visc in place by the pharmacist I was annoyed at the fact the the doctor from the eye hospital did not know that they had been discontinued. I have been reading the forum and that Lynda 79 has been talking about wet ones which company of wet ones are you talking about cause so far since last night I have spent $70.00 on products not that this is a problem as long as the treatment is going to help 

14

Hi Grace

Just a comment.....I'm in the UK and lacrilube hasnt been discontinued here. Why was it discontinued do you know?

Have you got a tube of it or not??? If you have.....I was given it by one eye specialist and the 2nd one I saw said it was no good at all but it was excellent for itchy eyelids or it was a good moisturiser for eye lides {not in the eye} LOL So I use it sparingly for that.

Good luck with finding a cure.....Linda is the expert on thiswink

Love

Eileen

15

No I have no tube at all. But like I said she was diagnosed last might so yes fingers crossed lets see how we go. Not too happy with diagnosis as the first doctor said it is the other said not really but to follow the treatment plan anyway but if it continues I will take her to my optometrist who will send me to a specialist who hopefully will give us the proper diagnosis. Have you used the wet ones that were mentioned earlier

16

Dear Grace,

I know you are worried. I am the mother of 4.

If your daughter is not allergic to shampoo, detergents, fabric softners, handwipes then she should be able to use these wipes.

I am going to copy to this page why they work:

 What causes blepharitis?

There are three main types of blepharitis: staphylococcal blepharitis, seborrhoeic blepharitis and meibomian blepharitis. All three types can cause similar symptoms.

Staphylococcal blepharitis

This type of blepharitis is thought to be caused by a bacterium (germ) called staphylococcus. This bacterium commonly lives in low numbers on the skin without doing any harm. However, in some people, it seems that this bacterium causes a localised infection of the eyelids, resulting in blepharitis. Exactly why this happens in some people is unclear.

Quats are effective in destroying a broad spectrum of harmful microorganisms. They are effective in killing the following microorganisms while cleaning the surfaces upon which they reside – all in one simple step.

1.                   Gram negative and gram positive bacteria like salmonella typhi, staphylococcus aureus, streptococcus epidermidis and pseudomonas aeruginosa,

2.                   viruses like HIV-1, Herpes simplex 1 and 2

3.                   Antibiotic resistant strains of bacteria including methicillin resistant staphylococcus aureus (MRSA).

4.                   and fungi like trichophyton interdigitale (athlete’s foot).

 I did not rinse it off after rubbing each eyelash area 2 times. I did this 4 times a day for a week and a half. I then went down to 3 times a day for a month. I then used them 2 times a day for several month. I used the handwipes with Benzethonium Chloride in them at .03%.

Others have used the handwipes sold in the UK with Benzalkonium Chloride in them and they both work as both are Quats.

Google this info for yourself. The wipes also have lanolin in them and  1 young man was allergic to that.

This is a $20.00 cure someone told me. She said she spend thousands of dollars. Be sure and use 2 wash cloths each times you wash the eyes. I used white wash cloth (to put in the bleach load).

Yes, you can infect the other eye. I did that.

The first person to kill this used an facial scrub with Benzethonium Chloride in it. When I tried to buy it, they no longer made it with that in it so I looked on line as to what other products had Benzethonium Chloride in it. The rest is history. I

I have a tox report if you need that too. This does not go in the eye.

Eye meds like steroids have .01% BAK (Benalkonium Chloride) in them as a preservative.

Wish you relief soon.

Lynda79

 

17

Thankyou lynda79 i  appreciate your feedback I will also get me daughter to read this and I will get the wipes today will be in touch again I thankyou

18

Dear Grace,

Thank you for getting back to me and I hope your daughter gets relief. It is almost immediate relief but does take a few months to actually kill it. I was a desperate person who was willing to try almost anything. Oh, by the way rubbing alcohol does not work. See what I mean.

When my daughter said her mother-in-law killed it I jumped on it right away. Like I said I looked on-line for a product. The rest is history.

My grandson laughed and laughed when he saw me typing and said he could not believe I was blogging (actually posting I learned).

Some young person told me about it. So I jumped right in.

I have several sites that don't want me to post up.

They are going to hate it if we find the antibiotic that works.

Europe is about 15 years ahead of the US in medicine, I was told by a friend. I believe it.

Enough of my going on.

I wish your family relief soon.

Lynda79

19

Hello Lynda - Am I right in thinking that in England we can only get the blue packet (which has Benzalkonium Chloride) and in the USA they have the red packets (with Benzethonium chloride) so which is best?! Bit worried because I found a site that said Benzalkonium can damage your eyesight

Regards Sophie

20

Dear Sophie,

I used the ones with Benzethonium Chloride and Honjon used the ones in the UK with Benzalkonium Chloride in them.

They do not go in the eyes. If you use steroids they have in then .01% BAK (Benzalkonium Chloride as a presevative. This goes into the eyes. What I read on-line was that over a long period of time (and if using 2 items with BAK in it) it can cause damage to the eye. People use these meds for years.

The wipes only go on the eyelash area to kill the staphylococcus. Honjon on this site used the UK wipes.

You can also use preservative free eye drops for lubrication now. They had BAK in it too.

If you google Quats and Blepharitis you will see that staphylococcus is the cause and Quats kill it.

If you are not allergic to soap items such as shampoos, detergents, fabric softeners or spermicidal jellies or hand wipes you should be OK.

Try them on your hands or skin first.

Hope this info helps.

Lynda79