Dry eyes but wear contacts or hate drops? Read on... (Optrex Actimist Eye Spray)

Member Name: pink_glitter

Product:	Optrex Actimist Eye Spray
Date:	13/05/09 (921 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: instant results, can use with contacts, apply to closed eyes, longer shelf life than drops

Disadvantages: expensive, results only last around 1 hour

I first spotted this product whilst browsing the Boots website and knew I had to try it. In fact, I was so excited about trying it, I headed off to Boots to get some the next day. It has now become one of my favourite products and I can't stop raving about how good it is to anyone who will listen, and so thought it only fair to share with my Dooyoo friends too!

I am a contact lens wearer and I also do eleven hour night shifts in an air conditioned office and a large proportion of that time is spent staring at a computer screen. These factors combined mean that my eyes can often become very dry and uncomfortable throughout the night. My optician confirmed that there is no harm in me wearing my lenses for this period of time, but could only offer the advice that I should take them out if they became too dry. Thanks to this product, that has all changed and I no longer have to take my lenses out halfway through the night.

The idea of the product is that it is a spray which relieves the symptoms or dry, burning, strained or simply irritated eyes, as well as making your eyes more comfortable when you have the sensation of something (such as an eyelash) being in your eye. I'm sure you're thinking 'but there are loads of eye drops on the market that do the same thing' and yes, you'd be right, but this spray has many benefits over your standard bottle of eye drops...

Firstly it can be used with contact lenses -either hard or soft. This is a huge plus point for me, as many eye drops available are not suitable for use when wearing contact lenses.

Secondly, the spray is applied to closed eyelids. As I wear contact lenses I am used to touching my eye, so applying eye drops is not a problem for me personally, but I know a lot of people are very squeamish about having things go into their eyes, so this product is a great solution. The other advantage of using a spray over drops is that you can apply it wherever you are and there's no need for a mirror.

Another great thing about this product is that it has up to a three year shelf life. If you have ever bought eye drops you will know that they have to be thrown away after 28 days. This spray can be used up until the best before date or until the spray runs out - whichever comes first, meaning that this is the economical choice if you will only be using it occasionally.

Another thing you may or may not know about eye drops, is that you're not supposed to share a bottle because it can become contaminated, therefore spreading infection. This one however, is suitable for use by multiple people as the bottle doesn't come close enough to the eye to become contaminated - great if there's more than one of you in the same household suffering from dry eyes.

The spray comes in a blue box, which slightly belies the size of the bottle inside. The bottle is absolutely tiny at just 10ml, but you will get approximately 100 'metered doses' from each bottle. Also because it's so small it's very convenient to carry in your handbag or even your pocket.

So, how does it work? Well basically you have a tear film in your eye which is covered by a layer of lipid. This spray stabilises that lipid layer which helps prevent tear evaporation, therefore keeping your eyes moist. Using the spray is very easy. At first I didn't see how it could possibly work from spraying onto your eyelids. I actually (stupid as it sounds) thought the liquid must seep through your skin into your eyes at first! What actually happens is that the particles in the liquid will gather at the corners of your eyes, and gradually work their way into your eyes. By the time you have blinked a few times there will be enough liquid in your eyes to stabilise the tear film, therefore relieving any dryness or irritation.

When you spray the liquid, you need to hold the bottle approximately 10cm from the eye. I think the first thing you will notice is the smell. It is apparently the smell of 'natural lecithin' according to the leaflet in the box, and isn't particularly nice, however it does disappear almost immediately.

As soon as I open my eyes after spraying, the dryness disappears instantly. It's amazing, I can go from red, sore eyes to normal, comfortable eyes in literally seconds. I was amazed at how fast this worked to be honest, I had expected perhaps it would take 10 minutes or so, but every time I have used it results have been instantaneous.

There is no stinging or discomfort when applying the spray at all either, which is another plus point for it. It does say that this can be used when wearing eye make-up, but preferably you should use it when you're not wearing make-up. If you do happen to be wearing eye make-up you should spray from approx 20cm rather than 10cm as you normally would. I have found that when using this when wearing make-up it doesn't cause it to come off or anything like that, although admittedly my eye make-up is normally waterproof.

You can use the spray on a daily basis and they recommend using around 3-4 times a day, although they do say if your eyes are severely dry it's fine to use it more than that.

The main negative side of this product for me is that the results only last for around an hour. I would have preferred that they lasted longer than this, however I am still grateful to have found something that prevents dryness, so I can't complain too much.

Should you accidentally spray the product into an open eye, apparently it will sting for a while but will not cause any damage, though admittedly I've not done it myself. There are no known side effects, and it shouldn't react with any other medication.

At £14.67 for a 10ml bottle from Boots this product is not cheap. Remember though, for this price you get 100 applications and it has a three year shelf life.

So, overall I would certainly recommend this product. Optrex are a trusted name in eye care products and this spray has numerous advantages over other products on the market. Aside from the slightly high price tag my only other gripe is that the results only last around an hour, but on the whole this is a brilliant product, and I'm positive I'll be buying another bottle when this one runs out.

Summary: Fantastic product, well worth a try