Viscous artificial tears (carbomer 940)
Carbomers (eye gels)
Brand names: Viscotears, GelTears, Liquivisc
Adult dose
Dose: 1 drop QDS or PRN
Route: Ophthalmic
Frequency: PRN
Clinical pearls
- TFOS DEWS II / RCOphth dry eye: long-acting lubricant for moderate dry eye; preservative-free preparations available
- Better retention than aqueous tears
Contraindications
- Hypersensitivity
Side effects
- Transient blurred vision
- Stinging
- Eye discharge accumulation
Interactions
- Other eye drops — separate by 5 minutes
Monitoring
- Symptom relief
- Visual acuity
Reference: BNF; RCOphth dry eye; TFOS DEWS II; https://bnf.nice.org.uk/drugs/carbomers/. Verify against your local formulary and the latest BNF before prescribing.
Related
Curated clinical cross-links plus same-class fallbacks.
Pathways
- Acute Red Eye / Vision Loss Screen · RCOphth 2020; NICE CKS
- Idiopathic Intracranial Hypertension · ABN; consensus 2018
- Acute Red Eye Assessment · RCOphth / AAO
- Acute Angle Closure Glaucoma · RCOphth / EGS Guidelines
- Retinal Detachment · RCOphth Guidelines / EURETINA
- Diabetic Retinopathy — Screening and Management · NICE NG28 2016 / NHS DES Programme