Introducing Natural Ophthalmics products
By popular demand, we've begun adding some Natural Ophthalmics homeopathic eye drop products to the Dry Eye Shop. These products were unfortunately affected by the Altaire manufacturer recalls a few years back, so they were off the market for awhile and had to find a different manufacturer. But the benefit of making that move is that the drops are now packaged in more up-to-date preservative-free multi-dose bottles, like those that many of the conventional brands (Alcon, Allergan, Oasis, etc) are moving to.
Anyway, here's why we added these products, and suggestions for who might be interested:
1. Gentler option for mild dry eye symptoms?
Some people worry about all the "chemicals" they're putting in their eyes. Most people would prefer natural options if they were available *and* effective.
I think for a lot of us, the reality is that when symptoms are severe, strong lubricants of some kind are unavoidable (even with the use of moisture goggles). But there are plenty of people who have mild or even just seasonal symptoms, and we all go through our various ups and downs. So for some, one of NO's two "Tear Stimulation" products might prove to be a useful
2. Alternative allergy drop?
We've never stocked allergy drops at the Dry Eye Shop, although an awful lot of our customers use them. The main reason, historically, is that all over-the-counter allergy eye drops contain Bad BAK. Last year, a PF OTC allergy drop reached the market for the first time (Alaway PF). We'd like to stock it, but sadly, Bausch (alone of all the major pharmaceutical companies) won't make an exception for us to purchase it from them. Trust me, I tried over and over. Anyway, if we can't stock regular allergy drops, at least we can stock homeopathics. Incidentally, back when I lived in Florida, where I had a worse time with ocular allergies than anywhere else I've lived, I used to use the Similasan brand.
3. Ortho-K?
We occasionally get requests to stock more products for Ortho-K patients. This fits in nicely with our specialty (mostly scleral) lens supplies. So, our first one is Natural Ophthalmic's Ortho-K Thin drop. For those who are familiar, the "Thick" version will be available in a few months.