AEON Sodium Chloride 5% Hypertonic Eye Drops 10ml

✔ Stock on hand — ships NZ-wide from Rose Optometry, Hamilton.

Hypertonic saline — a treatment for a swollen cornea, not a comfort drop

AEON NaCl 5% is a hypertonic sodium chloride solution. It is far saltier than your tears, and it works by osmosis: it draws excess fluid out of a waterlogged cornea. It is not lubricating your eye. It is pulling water out of it.

That makes it a specific clinical product for corneal oedema — where the cornea swells with fluid and vision goes cloudy or hazy, classically worst on waking and clearing through the morning. The usual reasons are Fuchs' endothelial dystrophy, post-surgical oedema including after cataract surgery, and other forms of corneal decompensation.

This is used on the advice of your optometrist or ophthalmologist. It is not a product to self-select. The indication is specific and so is the dose, and corneal oedema is something we can see on a slit lamp in about thirty seconds — which is a far better basis for buying this than a guess.

The honest caveat, and please read it: it stings. On a healthy eye, sometimes considerably, and to no purpose. Some stinging on a genuinely oedematous cornea is expected and settles. Vision often goes briefly blurry on instillation as the tear film redistributes.

Who it's for

• Diagnosed corneal oedema, on optometrist or ophthalmologist advice.
• Fuchs' endothelial dystrophy.
• Post-surgical corneal oedema, including after cataract surgery.
• Vision that is cloudy on waking and clears as the day goes on — once that has been examined.
• Not for general dry eye, grittiness or tired eyes.

Questions we get asked

Can I use this for dry eye?
No. This is the single most important line on the page. It is not a lubricant and it is not a dry eye drop — it removes water from the cornea rather than adding it. If your eyes feel gritty, dry or tired, you want the dry eye range, not this. Buying this for general dryness will hurt and will not help.

Does it sting?
Yes, commonly. That is inherent to hypertonic saline and not a sign of a faulty bottle. On a swollen cornea it usually settles with use; on a normal eye it is simply unpleasant and pointless.

Will it blur my vision?
Briefly on instillation. The more relevant point is the reverse — people use it because their vision is already hazy from corneal swelling, and it is the haze it is aimed at.

Why is my vision worst in the morning?
Your eyes are closed overnight, so tears cannot evaporate and the cornea takes on fluid. It clears as the day goes on. That morning pattern is the classic sign of corneal oedema and is worth getting examined.

Can I use it with contact lenses in?
Ask us first. It depends on the lens type and on why you are using the drops, and this is not a question to answer from a product page. To be explicit about one thing: this is not a lens filling or rinsing saline and must never be used to fill a scleral lens — see which saline is safe for scleral, ortho-K and rigid lenses.

Will it fix Fuchs' dystrophy?
No. It manages the fluid and therefore the vision. It does not repair the corneal endothelium, and ongoing ophthalmological care remains essential. If you have not been assessed, book an eye examination with us in Hamilton before buying anything on this page.

Why buy from Rose Optometry

• Independent, optometrist-owned New Zealand practice — in Hamilton since 1969.
• Free optometrist advice with every order; reply to your order email and a clinician answers.
• Free NZ shipping on orders over $100, sent from Hamilton.