Ultra Preservative, 0.4mL 24-Count

PRODUCTS COMPARED (they are all preservative-free vials): Theratears Lubricant Eye Drops Single Use Containers Tears Naturale Free Lubricant Eye Drops, Single-Use Vials Systane Ultra Lubricant Eye Drops Convenient Preservative Free Vials AMO Blink Tears Lubricating Eye Drops -- Sterile Single-Use Vials Allergan Refresh Celluvisc Lubricant Eye Drops for Moderate to Severe Dry Eye Similasan Preservative-Free Dry Eye Relief Eye Drops, Single-Use Droppers Bausch & Lomb Soothe Lubricant Eye Drops, 28-Count Single Use Dispensers VIALS - EASE OF OPENING Allergan Refresh: 4/5, small vial, harder to grasp Bausch & Lomb: 5/5 Blink Tears: 2/5, cheap overflexible plastic, cap does not snap off cleanly, can leave sharp edges, requires concentration and effort to open properly Similasan: 4/5, extremely long vial, bends awkwardly Systane Ultra: 5/5 Tears Naturale: 5/5 Theratears: 5/5 VIALS - EASE OF USE Allergan Refresh: 4/5, small, rigid capsule, harder to squeeze Bausch & Lomb: 6/5 extra credit for a completely unique, easy to squeeze design, it really stands above the rest Blink Tears: 3/5, sharp edges from opening can poke your eye, smaller, slightly rigid capsule makes squeezing harder Similasan: 2/5, skinny capsule, liquid does not want to rotate with gravity or squeezing Systane Ultra: 5/5, has a nice big opening for the drops Tears Naturale: 5/5 Theratears: 4/5, has the poorer, small and rigid capsule design, but is the easiest of that kind to use compared to others INITIAL EYE REACTION Allergan Refresh: 5/5 Bausch & Lomb: 5/5 Blink Tears: 3/5, a somewhat watery feeling that doesn't mesh well with your body's tears Similasan: 5/5 Systane Ultra: 5/5 Tears Naturale: 5/5 Theratears: 2/5, very watery feeling that doesn't feel natural at all EXTENDED EYE REACTION Allergan Refresh: 5/5 Bausch & Lomb: 5/5 Blink Tears: 4/5 Similasan: 2/5, stinging and drying sensation Systane Ultra: 5/5 Tears Naturale: 2/5, perplexing drying effect begins after a few minutes Theratears: 4/5 DAYTIME USE (WORKING, READING, DRIVING) Allergan Refresh: 3/5, by far the thickest, reduces clarity in sight, and can make you feel sleepy Bausch & Lomb: 5/5 Blink Tears: 5/5 Similasan: 4/5, you need more time to fiddle with it Systane Ultra: 5/5 Tears Naturale: 3/5, extended dry effect gives you the need to blink a lot Theratears: 5/5 NIGHTTIME USE (RELAXING, SLEEPING) Allergan Refresh: 4/5, very moisturizing overnight, but will leave gunk on your eyelashes in morning Bausch & Lomb: 3/5 requires multiple applications Blink Tears: 3/5 Similasan: 2/5, stinging sensation may keep you awake, very difficult to manipulate and remove tears in dark Systane Ultra: 3/5, requires multiple applications Tears Naturale: 3/5 Theratears: 3/5, requires multiple applications **note: none of these drops scored perfect because none of them are completely effective as overnight products, recommend seeking alternate solutions or using one of these drops with another product OVERALL CHEMICAL BALANCE Allergan Refresh: 5/5 Bausch & Lomb: 5/5 Blink Tears: 3/5 Similasan: 3/5 Systane Ultra: 5/5 Tears Naturale: 3/5 Theratears: 3/5 ECONOMICS RANKINGS ON AMAZON (AS OF 11 DEC 2013. LOWEST RANK IS CHEAPEST.) Allergan Refresh: #4, $0.45 per vial Bausch & Lomb: #2 tied, $0.37 per vial Blink Tears: #3, $0.44 per vial Similasan: #6, $0.50 per vial Systane Ultra: #5, $0.48 per vial Tears Naturale: #1, $0.33 per vial Theratears: #2 tied, $0.37 per vial **note: I found that almost all vials contain fluid that will deteriorate into a hardened gel (due to lack of preservatives) before I could finish using them. They are designed to be disposable after a single use, and you will be hard pressed to get multiple uses that maintain an ideal chemical reaction. As such, these economic ratings are not done by milliliters, but by price per whole vial. So the vials with more fluid in them are not necessarily a better deal. That said, some vials may be designed with an unsatisfactory amount of fluid per vial for even a single use. You decide. GRAND TOTAL RECOMMENDATIONS Allergan Refresh: Recommended for evening/nighttime use Bausch & Lomb: HIGHLY RECOMMENDED Blink Tears: Recommended with reservations Similasan: Not Recommended Systane Ultra: HIGHLY RECOMMENDED Tears Naturale: Not Recommended Theratears: Not Recommended Everyone's eye chemistry is different, and different products will affect each person uniquely. So keep your mind open and be willing to try many things. Consider also: humidifiers, night gels, eyelid cleansers, microwaveable hot pads, sunglasses, and anything else out there.

I have very dry eyes, as Andy Dick says in the new "Love" show, "they feel like raisins!" I have a prescription I use twice a day which helps combat the problem, but I still need to use lubricant eye drops throughout the day. My eye doc said anything in a bottle was out as it would most likely contain preservatives which can make dryness worse. I've tried a variety of products based on what I can find, what's on sale and what works. These Systane Drops are good. There's more than one drop per eye which is excellent if you occasionally have trouble getting eye drops actually into your eye. You can also use the extra drops later in the day, but my doc says to not keep it past the day it was originally opened. There's no burning sensation with these as opposed to some other drops. It does feel moisturizing and lubricating on your eye very quickly. I do have to use these more than some others as the effect doesn't seem to last as long. However, the irritated tiredness in my eyes is less with these than some other products. Even if I use other ones more often, the lubricating effect of these is better. This has become one of my favorite eye drop brands and is regularly rotated into use.

I tried this at the recommendation of my ophthalmologist after I started experiencing dry eye problems after cataract surgery. I also purchased Refresh Celluvisc, Lubricant Eye Drops, Single Use Containers 30 ea to try to compare the two products. I've ended up using both, and here's why: Systane works great, and provides perhaps better lubricating than Refresh. But it tends to blur my vision when I use it -- for just a minute or so, then it clears up. This is OK for early in the a.m. and late at night, but I have to apply drops every hour, and I don't like having to deal with blurry vision during the day. So I use the Refresh drops during the day -- no blurriness, adequate lubricating. I need a stronger lubricant at night and first thing in the morning anyway, as that's when my eyes are the driest. The rest of the time, Refresh works fine. Having preservative-free drops is important to me -- I've had problems in the past with preservatives in eye drops, so the preservative-free single use vials work well. So for me, the combination of Systane plus Refresh seems to be working great, and I'll continue to purchase both.

I just received my purchase of the 24 0.4 mL vials of Systane ULTRA Lubricant Eye Drops and initially i am a bit disappointed (not having actually used any of the vials YET). I love the product - the 1.5 mL bottle that my eye doctor gave me to try (i think it's for machular degeneration (sp?) as i have that and cateracks (sp) which i guess many of us "mature" adults get as we get more "mature"!) The eye drops he gave me provided relief for dry/irritated eyes. But, I had no idea these vials were a 1 use item and then discard the vial after putting in eye drops. The directions on the packets state "once opened, discard", and the bos says "throw away container. Do not reuse. I didn't see anything about "one-time use" in the information I was reading. are those of you that use the product (the vials) - are you throwing the vial away after 1 use? or, do you reuse it maybe a 2nd time? The vials are probably great for traveling by air when you can only have so much liquid in opened containers. would appreciate some feedback on your usage of this product. i rated this with 3 stars as i'm sure they will work as the drops in the bottles work great, but in reality i haven't used the vials yet as i haven't needed them. if i had received bottles, i would have given this product 5 stars. thanks in advance for those responding.