Can eye whiteners such as Naphazolin eye drops cause Dry Eye?
Yes. The medicines known as eye whiteners for eye irritations work by narrowing the blood vessels of the conjunctiva and reducing blood flow into the conjunctiva. This makes the eyes white for a short time, a cosmetic effect. After four to six hours reactive hyperaemia occurs, i.e. the blood vessels dilate again in order to supply the undernourished conjunctiva with nutrients. The eye becomes red again and needs more drops. – If eye whiteners are used the production of tear fluid is immediately reduced. This results in dry eye. For this reason eye whiteners are contraindicated in sicca patients. – Eye whiteners should always be used for a short time only, a week at the most. If the eye irritation has still not disappeared it is caused by another factor which needs appropriate treatment.
