Ocular lubricant

Hyetellose

Brand names: Minims artificial tears

Hyetellose (hydroxyethylcellulose) is a cellulose-derived ocular lubricant used as an artificial tear preparation to relieve dryness and irritation of the eye.

Dosing — being independently re-sourced

ClinCalc Pro is rebuilding its dose data from primary open sources — the manufacturer SmPC (eMC), the WHO Model Formulary and other official references — under clinician review. This drug's structured dose is not yet published here. Confirm all doses against the product SmPC and your local formulary before prescribing.

Clinical monograph

How it works

As a hydrophilic polymer it increases the viscosity of tears and forms a moisture-retaining film over the ocular surface, prolonging tear contact time and lubricating the cornea and conjunctiva.

Prescribing in practice

Preserved formulations may cause ocular surface irritation with frequent or prolonged use, so prefer a preservative-free product for long-term or frequent dosing.
May be instilled as often as required for symptomatic relief and is generally well tolerated.
Separate the instillation of different eye drops and apply ointments last when several products are used.

Monitoring

No systemic monitoring is required; assess symptom relief and ocular surface health clinically.

Counselling the patient

Expect transient blurring after instillation and wait until vision clears before driving.
Avoid touching the dropper tip to the eye and discard within the recommended period after opening.

Evidence & guidelines

Cellulose-based artificial tears are an established option for dry eye symptom relief in routine ophthalmic care.

Reference: Drug verified in RxNorm (NLM); confirm dosing against the manufacturer SPC (eMC). Verify against your local formulary and current prescribing references before prescribing. Monograph status: clinician-reviewed (2026-07-04).

Curated clinical cross-links plus same-class fallbacks.

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