Viscotears Liquid Gel 10g

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

Viscotears — a carbomer gel that sits between a drop and an ointment

Viscotears Liquid Gel is a carbomer gel. It is thicker than an artificial tear and thinner than a paraffin ointment, which puts it in a genuinely useful middle ground.

Because it is thicker than a drop, it stays on the eye longer — the obvious step up when a standard artificial tear has stopped lasting between doses. Because it is thinner than an ointment, the blur is brief rather than disabling, which means you can actually use it during the day. That is not true of Poly Visc. It suits moderate dry eye through the day, or an evening dose when a full ointment would be too much.

The honest caveat: this version contains cetrimide, a preservative. The manufacturer is upfront about it and so are we. Preservatives are hard on the ocular surface with repeated exposure, and a gel is typically used several times a day. Do that every day, indefinitely, and a preserved product can quietly become part of the problem. If you are a frequent or long-term user, buy the preservative-free Gel PF vials instead. For genuinely occasional use, the preserved tube is fine and considerably cheaper.

Who it's for

• Moderate dry eye where an ordinary artificial tear no longer lasts.
• Daytime use, when an ointment would blur too much.
• An evening step-up short of a full night-time ointment.
• Occasional rather than all-day-every-day use — for that, choose the preservative-free vials.
• Not for use with contact lenses in.

Questions we get asked

Will it blur my vision?
Yes, but usually for under a minute — far less than an ointment. Still worth putting it in before you settle rather than before you drive.

Can I use it with contact lenses in?
No. Remove your lenses first and give it at least 30 minutes before putting them back in. Carbomer gel on a lens surface is a mess, and this version is preserved as well.

How often can I use it?
Follow the dosing on the pack. The practical limit here is the preservative rather than the gel itself: if you are needing it more than about four times a day, move to preservative-free.

Does it contain a preservative?
Yes — cetrimide. That is the single most important thing to know before choosing between this tube and the PF vials.

How long does it keep once opened?
Follow the discard-after-opening period printed on the tube, and write the date you opened it on the tube itself.

What is the difference between this and Viscotears Gel PF?
Same carbomer gel; the PF version comes in single-dose vials with no preservative. It costs more per dose. If you use a gel daily and indefinitely, that is money well spent; if you use it now and then, it isn't.

A last point nobody selling you a gel will make.
A gel manages dryness; it does not treat the cause. If you are using drops several times a day and still uncomfortable, the drop isn't the problem — the diagnosis is. Most often the cause is the oil glands in the lid margin, which respond to heat and lid hygiene rather than a thicker lubricant. Read meibomian gland dysfunction, 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.