You love swimming but your eyes always get irritated (or dry eye) after a swimming session? You are looking for some best eye drops for the swimmers but feel overwhelmed with abundant of products in OTC (over-the-counter) market? Don't worry, we are here to recommend the best picks for you.
For swimmers, chemicals such as Chlorine (Cl) or Urine (that come from human peeing act) in the pool can cause red eye. These chemicals in the water can wash away the layer of tear film, which coats the surface of the eyes and produce moist to make it smooth and clear.
Your eyes become red and uncomfortable when this moist layer of tear film is washed away. If you are a frequent swimmer, you may realize you will often have dry eyes because your eyes don’t produce enough tears or produce bad quality tears.
And what’s worse?
Your eyes are exposed to harmful chemicals and bacteria in the pool without fully protection. On the other hand, the reaction from chlorine or urine also worsen the case, causing redness, itchiness, watery, and eye infections.
As secret revealed! In this today’s article, we would like to introduce you to some of the best eye drops for swimmers that we have been searching and collecting from many different sources.
At A Glance: Our Choices for The Best Swimming Eye Drops
If you are looking for some well trusted brand products, you might want to consider Bausch + Lomb Lumify Redness Reliever Eye Drops. This eye drops is not only highly recommended, but also is approved by the FDA.
Clear Eyes Cooling Comfort Redness Relief Eye Drops is the eye drop that contains Occuthol, an ingredient that will give you the cooling effect to soothe the discomfort feeling caused from the pool water.
Equate Redness Reliever Sterile Eye Drops is a good deal for anyone want to have more for less. This product comes with 3 bottles in one package. And what’s more, up to 10 hours protection.
Big fans of Alcon brand should not miss Systane Balance Lubricant Eye Drops. An artificial tear product that help to keep the moisture balance and lubricate your eyes
Soothe XP - Xtra Protection Lubricant Eye Drops is a product of Bausch + Lomb supplier. If you like a product that works naturally with the body, this is the one for you. Soothe XP contains mineral oils to provide protection for your eyes from the harsh chemicals in the pool water.
Review the best eye drops for Swimmers
Brand | Description (*) |
|---|---|
#1 - Bausch + Lomb LUMIFY  | |
#2 - Clear Eyes Cooling  | |
#3 - Equate Redness Reliever  | |
#4 - Systane Balance  | |
#5 - Soothe XP  |
(*) Note: The description and specifications of products are updated as the time of editor's article. However they are the subject for changes over time. Please read the descriptions carefully before buying our recommended products.
Scroll down to find out the 5 best tear drops for swimmers and why you should no longer worry about swimming in chlorinated pools.
#1 Bausch + Lomb LUMIFY Redness Reliever Eye Drops
There is not much to say about products from Bausch + Lomb company. This Lumify eye drops is no exception. It is one of the best redness killers among over-the-counter eye drops.
And if you notice, you can realise in our every review articles, there is at least one Bausch + Lomb product making itself to the list.
What is so special about this drops?
Lumify is highly recommended by specialists over the years and is approved by the Food and Drug Administration in the USA (FDA).
The secret lays in the active ingredient called Brimonidine. This chemical specialises in treating redness and reducing irritation caused by Chlorine in the pool.
What’s more? there is no bleach found in the drops so it’s completely safe for the eyes. And you now can be relieved to know that your eyes will be protected from the chlorinated pool for up to 8 hours.
You are not planning to stay that long in the pool, aren't you?
What we like:
What we didn't like
#2 Clear Eyes Cooling Comfort Redness Relief Eye Drops
If you are a big fan of swimming, and you go to the pool frequently, make sure you choose the product that provides comfort as much as possible for your eyes.
It is not common that this product is from one of the top selling brands of eye drops. Clear Eyes can immediately deliver cooling effect with Occuthol, an ingredient that is used for soothing and moisturizing red eyes.
This product is offered with multiple size package. You can either go for a pack of 1, 2, 3 or even 4. They are prepared with strong relieved elements to make sure your eyes get fully protection from the outside environment.
In additional, swimmer can apply the drop as a protectant to prevent further infection and other conditions for a long lasting effect up to 12 hours.
Does it sound good to you? Here are more things that we like:
What we like:
What we didn't like
#3 Equate Redness Reliever Sterile Eye Drops
Here it comes, now this sounds like a very good deal. And the truth is that
Yes! it is indeed a very good deal for you.
Equate Redness Reliever should come 3 in 1 (3 bottles in 1 pack) drops that give you more value for money.
This product contains 0.05% Tetrahydrozoline Hydrochloride, a redness reliever which is usually found in higher cost eye drops. So you actually get more for less.
Although this drops is not like other products that provide the effect lasting more than 10 hours, Equate Redness Reliever has its own advantages. Swimmers can apply this drops to get their irritated and redness eyes soothed immediately by its fast acting formula.
And as I said above, this product should come with three 0.5 oz bottles when ordered for money saving.
So it's worth for a try, isn’t it?
What we like:
What we didn't like
#4 Systane Balance Lubricant Eye Drops
If you are looking for something to get rid of redness after a swimming session, why not try this Systane Balance.
This artificial tear product from Alcon support the tears film of your eyes to produce moist for lubricating and restore the lipid layer.
Alcon has been known for many years with their eye drops products highly recommended from doctors.
This product often comes with 2 small bottles, 10 ml for each. However, you may not like it when you know it actually cost a little bit higher than other similar products
What we like:
What we didn't like
#5 Bausch + Lomb Soothe XP Dry Eye Drops - Xtra Protection Lubricant Eye Drop with Restoryl Mineral Oils
Another one from Bausch + Lomb, and also the last pick of our list. If you like Lumify eye drops because it can reduce the redness symptoms effectively, then you must love this drops even more.
Soothe XP focuses on relieving the discomfort sensation and bring temporary relief effect due to burning eyes from harsh chemicals in the pool. Your eyesight will be protected fully from harmful environment.
One of the best things about this eye drops is that it contains Restoryl mineral oils together with other active ingredients, make it a special combination that helps to deliver moist and protect tear lost, while restoring the dedicated lipid layer of the tear film.
Although this product aims for burning and irritation due to wind or sun, it is also great for swimmers because it keeps the tear film moist and balanced, which makes your eyes safe from dryness.
What we like:
What we didn't like
Comparison Chart: What is the Best Eye Drops For Swimmers?
Rankings | Best Overall | 2nd choice | 3rd choice | 4th choice | 5th choice |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Top-Rated Eye Drops For Swimmers 2020 | | | | | |
Brands | Lumify | Clear Eyes | Equate | Systane | Soothe XP |
Editor's rating | |||||
Preservative | Available | Available | Available | Available | Available & Free |
Doctor Recommend | Yes | - | - | - | - |
Content | 0.08 oz (2.5ml)/ 0.25 oz (7.5ml) | 0.5 oz (15ml) | 0.5 oz (15ml) | 1/3oz (10ml) | 0.5 oz (15ml) |
FDA approved | Yes | - | - | - | - |
Get started | Buy Now | Buy Now | Buy Now | Buy Now | Buy Now |
How To Protect Your Eyes In Swimming?
Wear goggles while swimming:
A pair of goggles is necessary when you go swimming. Not only it helps you see under the water, but also keep the chemicals away from your eyes, and protect the tear films’ moist layer from being washed away.
Wash your eyes carefully
After a swimming session, the first thing you may want to do is rushing to the bathroom to wash your face. Splashing water around the eye area to wash off all the chemical and Chlorine around your eyelids.
Use eye drops for swimmers
Eye drops can be used after swimming to lubricate the eyes if you don’t wear goggles. This provides moist to the layer of the tear film and keep it balanced. Eye drops are my lifesaver. It makes me feel a lot better and more comfortable after swimming.
Gel tears is also good
Gel tears is like eye drops, but they are a form of artificial tears and they are a lot thicker. You apply this before putting on your goggles. Gel tears is so thick that it forms a layer on your tears film to protect it.
However, you may consult doctors to know which products are best for you.
Drink more water
And last but not least, staying hydrated is the key. Keeping your body hydrated is not only good for your eyes, but also very important for your good health. So it’s a win-win situation.
The conclusion
I hope that you will find something useful for yourself in this list, and it’s even better if this product reviews solve your problems.
For me, there is nothing more exhilarating than helping my audience to find their solution. It makes me know that my effort is paid off. Now it’s time to pick the rabbit out of the hat.
In my opinion, also from a consumer’s perspective, I decide to choose Bausch + Lomb LUMIFY Redness Reliever Eye Drops as the best eye drops for swimmers.
Note that the drops is approved by the FDA, which makes it more trustworthy, this drops has been tested by myself. And guess what? I feel totally satisfied and comfortable in my case. Now I can go swimming frequently and never let this tiny problem stop me from a good habit.
That's our decision about the best eye drops for swimming. What do you have in your mind now?
We would love to hear from your personal experience after trying out these products, don't forget to leave us a comment below.
