Polytears Lubricating Eye Drops

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

Polytears — the drop most New Zealanders ask for by name

Polytears is a long-established artificial tear. It is inexpensive, it is familiar, and for mild, occasional dryness it is perfectly adequate. We stock it because people ask for it — and we would also like to tell you the truth about it.

When it is the right choice: mild, intermittent dryness. A windy day, a long drive, an evening of screens, a dusty job. Used now and then, it does exactly what it says.

When it isn't — and this is most people. If you are reaching for Polytears more than about four times a day, you are on the wrong drop, for two reasons. The first is preservative: at high frequency the preservative in a multi-dose bottle becomes an irritant to the very surface you are trying to soothe, and you end up in a loop of more drops, more irritation, more drops. The second is that an artificial tear replaces the watery layer only. Most dry eye in New Zealand is evaporative — the tear film fails because the oil layer is deficient, not the watery one. Topping up water on a tear film with no lid on it is like filling a bath with the plug out.

If you have outgrown it, read our guide to Polytears, Systane and Hylo alternatives, or compare the Systane range and the Hylo range directly.

Who it's for

• Mild, intermittent dryness — wind, screens, air conditioning, long drives.
• Occasional users, not daily ones.
• Anyone wanting a familiar, low-cost bottle to keep at the desk.
• Not the right pick if you dose more than about four times a day.

Questions we get asked

Can I use it with my contact lenses in?
We would take lenses out first. This is a preserved multi-dose bottle, and preservative sitting under a soft lens is concentrated against the cornea. If you want a drop to use over lenses, choose a preservative-free unit dose from our preservative-free range.

Will it blur my vision?
Very little — a few seconds at most. It is a thin drop rather than a gel or an ointment, both of which blur far more and are better used at bedtime.

How often can I use it?
Occasionally is fine. Beyond about four times a day the preservative becomes the limiting factor, and that is the point to change product rather than increase the dose.

Does it contain a preservative?
Yes — it is a preserved multi-dose bottle, which is normal for this type of product and is why the four-doses-a-day rule matters here.

How long does it keep once opened?
Follow the discard-after-opening period printed on the bottle, and write the date you opened it on the label. Preserved bottles are not meant to live in a handbag for a year.

What should I use instead if I need drops all day?
A preservative-free option — compare them in best eye drops for dry eyes NZ, browse the full dry eye range, or look at Systane, Hylo and Optimel manuka honey drops. But the more useful point: if you have used Polytears for years and your eyes are still dry, the drop isn't the problem — the diagnosis is. That is usually a lid and oil-gland issue. Read about meibomian gland dysfunction, try heat and lid hygiene, or Book a free Dry Eye Evaluation in Hamilton — 15 minutes, no cost.

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.