I am a contact lens wearer 90% of the time and have a healthy stock of rewetting drops and solutions that I use when my eyes are dry or I’ve been wearing them for an extended period of time. Most of the time a few drops of a rewetting solution is all I need to soothe my eyes but there are occasions when dirt, dust or a rebel eyelash requires a little more attention. This usually means that I have to remove my lenses, wash out my eye, apply some drops and wear my glasses for a few hours. Until a year or so ago I’d use saline solution or Bausch & Lomb ReNu solution to flush out my eye, then I found a small four ounce bottle of Bausch & Lomb Eye Wash on the shelf at Wal-Mart and decided to give it a try. Since then I’ve purchased several bottles for myself and the boys and can say that this is a must have for any household.

Bausch & Lomb Eye Wash

You might think that since this is made by Bausch & Lomb that it is for contact lens wearers exclusively. If you have eyes, this is a product that you can use for any minor irritations, dust, pollen allergies or any other eye related issue. I use this mainly when I have a stray eyelash that refuses to be removed with the tip of my finger and after swimming. For some reason people are paranoid and insist on putting so many chemicals in their pools that my eyes look like I just walked out of a Cheech & Chong film festival. It’s mild enough that I can use it every few minutes but effective enough that I only need to use it a few times before my eyes start to clear up and stop stinging or burning.

Bausch & Lomb Eye Wash contains boric acid, sodium borate and sodium chloride with sorbic acid and edetate disodium. This is a completely different product than eye drops or rewetting solutions so please know that before you make a purchase. I try to remove my lenses before I flush my eye but there have been a few times when dirt or dust has hit my lens and I could barely open my eye let alone try to remove the lens. This usually resulted in losing the lens or finding it several hours later when I would hear a small crunch after I stepped on it – but at least my eye was flushed and the foreign object was removed without scratching or damaging my eye. When you have something stuck in your eye and are in pain, whether or not you lose a contact lens is the last thing on your mind.

I have also used with when I get hit with a seasonal allergy, there’s a two week period when I simply can’t wear my contact lenses because I am sneezing my face off from a certain flower that blooms a few doors away. I haven’t been able to narrow it down to a specific plant yet, but I am working on it. During this time I take Claritin and Allegra to keep a majority of the symptoms to a minimum but my eyes are extremely irritated so I need to wash them out several times a day with Bausch & Lomb Eye Wash to keep from wanting to rip them out of their sockets. I’ve used this as many as six times a day with no additional irritation and usually one or two washes keeps me pain free for about three hours. If you are an allergy sufferer and can’t get away from what it is that is affecting you, this is a great product on hand to help soothe your eyes and remove some of the irritant.

Directions

The bottle and box both give you detailed instructions on how to use this product but here is a brief run down of how I use it. First, try to remove your contact lenses if you wear them. Make sure your hands are clean or at least as clean as possible, sometimes when an emergency occurs you won’t have time to stop and wash your hands. Generally I tilt my head back or to the side and apply a little pressure to the bottle to get a slow stream of liquid, you don’t want to go full blast with the eye wash because your eye will react by slamming shut which might make the situation worse. If you are dealing with dust, dirt or an eyelash, usually a few small squirts will be enough to wash out the debris. Don’t try to put your contact lenses back in until your eyes are feeling better and there is no visible redness or irritation. Common sense should tell you that if you have any type of a puncture to the eye or something like a branch or twig in your eye that immediate medical attention is necessary.

Price

I purchase mine at Wal-Mart and Target and the price is about the same at both places; $3.00 - $3.50 per bottle. I haven’t seen it in any size other than the 4 ounce bottle but that doesn’t necessarily mean that it doesn’t come in larger sizes. When purchasing this, please make sure that the outer seal of the box is intact and when you get it home that the inner seal on the neck of the bottle is unbroken. If either of the seals are apart, return it for a new bottle. You never know when some deranged lunatic is going to start messing with bottles – but your vision isn’t something to play around with. Even if it wasn’t purposely tampered with, dust or dirt could have come in contact with the tip, which means the bottle is basically useless.

Precautions & Warnings

I’ve safely used this on my eyes and on all of the boys from time to time but there are some warnings that you should be aware of before you purchase this. Given the ingredients, this should be kept out of the reach of children and it does come with a poison control panel about accidental ingestion [seek professional help or call your poison control center immediately]. I’ve ended up with some of this in my mouth when flushing my eyes and never got sick from it but you should make sure that if you are using this on a child you should try to avoid that. There are other products that you can have on hand for smaller children and even though the bottle doesn’t give an age range I’d say that this could safely be used on children ten and older but I’d suggest asking your family doctor or optometrist if there is a better product to keep on hand for children in case a product of this nature is needed.

Please read the box, bottle and insert to familiarize yourself with the product, precautions and uses. Knowing what this can do and what it can be used for before an emergency happens will help you in determining your best course of action.

The Bottom Line

This is the type of product that everyone should have on hand because you never know when an emergency situation might arise. The bottles usually have a two year shelf life but the expiration date is clearly printed on both the box and the bottle. One of the bottles I purchased a few months ago has an expiration date of 11/04 and I am sure that I will end up using the bottle [and then some] before that date arrives. I am confident enough in this product to use it on my children when they have red eyes after swimming or when they get dust or dirt in their eyes and have also used it on my two dogs when they needed to have the outside portions of their eyes cleaned. I consulted my veterinarian and asked him prior to using this and he said that for cleaning the outer portion of the eye [not the actual eye] this would be fine. Please consult your own veterinarian before using this on a pet since some vet’s may have different treatment options.


www.bausch.com
[800] 553-5340


As always, thanks for the read!

^V^ Freak ^V^

© 2003 Freak369


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