Visine

Brand Names

Altazine, Geneye Extra, Geneyes, Opti-Clear, Optigene 3, Redness Relief, Redness Relief Original, Visine, Visine Maximum Redness Relief, Vision Clear

What is Visine

Visine is a brand of eye drops, relieving redness due to minor eye irritation. The medication is a decongestant. It constricts swollen blood vessels in the eye which decreases redness. Irritants cause blood vessels to swell. Visine is one of the medications of a group of drugs called sympathomimetic amines.

Side effects of Visine

Visine can cause the following side effects:

• severe allergic reactions (rash; hives; difficulty breathing; tightness in the chest; swelling of the mouth, face, lips, or tongue)
• change in vision
• continued redness or irritation of the eye
• eye pain
• headache blurring
• tearing
• stinging of the eye

Indication

Visine is aimed to relieve dry, irritated eyes. The triggers of the eye irritations may be: wind, sun, heating/air conditioning, computer use/reading and certain medications. Visine eye drops may consist of the following components: carboxymethylcellulose, dextran, glycerin, hypromellose, polyethylene glycol 400 (PEG 400), polysorbate, polyvinyl alcohol, povidone or propylene glycol among others. The drops are used to moisture your eyes, to protect the eye from injury and infection and reduce the symptoms of dry eyes. These symptoms may include: burning, itching and feeling as if something is in the eye.

Precautions

You should inform your doctor if:

• you are allergic to any ingredient in Visine Eye Drops
• you have allergies to medicines, foods, or other substances
• you are taking furazolidone or have taken a monoamine oxidase (MAO) inhibitor (eg, phenelzine) within the last 14 days
• you are pregnant, planning to become pregnant, or are breast-feeding
• you are taking any prescription or nonprescription medicine, herbal preparation, or dietary supplement
• you have narrow-angle glaucoma, an overactive thyroid or high blood pressure

Dosage forms

You should disscuss with the doctor the terms of using and dosing this medicine. Usually, Visine is recommended to drop 1-2 drops applied to the affected eye(s) up to 4 times daily.

It is recommended to use the drops in the following way:

• Tilt your head back slightly and pull down your lower eyelid to create a small pocket. Hold the dropper above the eye with the tip down. Look up and away from the dropper as you squeeze out a drop, then close your eye.
• Gently press your finger to the inside corner of the eye for about 1 minute to keep the liquid from draining into your tear duct.
• Do not allow the dropper tip to touch any surface, including the eyes or hands. If the dropper becomes contaminated it could cause an infection in your eye, which can lead to vision loss or serious damage to the eye.