With all the eye drop recalls lately, it’s a good time to think about eye drop safety. The FDA recently issued some “consumer tips” that include never using certain types of eye drops–including anything labeled as homeopathic. We have a full breakdown of what not to use, and why, below.
Why so many eye drops are problematic
Our immune system does a great job of protecting our bodies from infection–but it doesn’t always show up to fight infection in our eyes. In science terms, the eyes are “immune privileged.” Our immune system mostly trusts that our eyes will take care of themselves, so you rarely get much inflammation (part of the infection-fighting process) in the eyes. In addition to the eyes, other immune privileged body parts include the brain, testes, placenta, and fetus.
It’s thought that immune privilege is good for our eyes, because it reduces the chances of swelling. But the flip side is that if our eyes do get infected, that infection is harder to fight off. People have died or lost their vision from infections that resulted from contaminated eye drops.
Since our eyes are so vulnerable to infection, it’s important not to squirt anything into them that we don’t truly need to. And that’s why the FDA is warning people away from eye drops that don’t have a known therapeutic benefit. All eye drops carry some risk, so you should make sure the potential benefits outweigh the potential risks. Here are the types of eye drops to avoid.
Homeopathic eye drops
While you may think of “homeopathy” as a synonym for home remedies or natural medicine, it’s not. Homeopathy is a specific, long-debunked medical theory from the days before we knew that germs cause disease; it was seen as a gentler alternative to bloodletting and other harsh treatments of the time.
FDA regulations were written with a carve-out that allowed homeopathic “drugs” to exist alongside real drugs, even though they are not FDA-approved and have never been proven to be safe or effective. The FDA and FTC have been delicately trying to crack down on products that they can argue are unsafe or misleadingly marketed. For now, homeopathic products are allowed to exist, but are supposed to be clearly labeled with language like: “Claims based on traditional homeopathic practice, not accepted medical evidence.”
The FDA’s advice here is simple: “Do not use ophthalmic [eye] products that are labeled as homeopathic, as these products should not be marketed.”
You can recognize homeopathic products by the word “homeopathic” (usually on the front of the package) and by the ingredients being listed as a dilution (a number followed by X, C, or CK) rather than in a measurable amount like milligrams. “Cineraria maritima HPUS 6X” would be an example of a homeopathic ingredient dilution. The FDA has more here on how to recognize and avoid homeopathic products.
Eye drops that claim to treat serious conditions
If your doctor prescribes eye drops for a serious condition like cataracts or glaucoma, you can trust those. But if you’re attempting to treat or deal with something on your own, don’t trust over-the-counter eye drops that say they can treat these issues.
The FDA, again, puts it simply: there are no approved over-the-counter eye drops for “serious eye conditions such as glaucoma, cataracts, retinopathy or macular degeneration.”
Eye drops with MSM (methylsulfonylmethane)
A chemical called methylsulfonylmethane, or MSM, has been studied for its potential health benefits. It may be anti-inflammatory; it’s legal to use as an ingredient in food or supplements.
But if you see it in eye drops, steer clear. The FDA says of MSM drops: “These products are unapproved drugs and illegally marketed in the U.S. There are no legally marketed ophthalmic drugs that contain MSM as an active ingredient.”
Eye drops containing silver
Silver sulfate and argentum are two names for medication ingredients that may contain silver (the metal). Over time, silver can cause the whites of your eyes to turn gray.
Something similar happens in the skin in people who take large doses of silver (such as colloidal silver) for many years. In that case, there’s a name for the condition: argyria.
Similar to the eye drops mentioned above, there is no known clinical benefit of silver-containing eye drops, and they pose the risk of dyeing your eyes gray as well as the risk of introducing contaminants if the eye drops are not properly manufactured and packaged.
The FDA suggests that everyone check their eye drops for the ingredients above–silver, MSM, or anything homeopathic–and also check whether the drops are on one of the recent recall or warning lists. You can read more from the FDA here.
