Bepanthen® eye drops

introduction

Bepanthen® is a product line from Bayer®, which has included various products in the field of wound healing and care since 1950. The Bepanthen® products do not require a prescription and are very popular with many customers, as they are generally considered to be very well tolerated. A frequently purchased and popular product are the Bepanthen® eye drops, which are recommended for the care and treatment of dry eyes.

Indications

Bepanthen® eye drops are a product that can be sold over the counter, so that in principle no medical indication has to be made in order to purchase and use the product. Nevertheless, there are of course indications on the basis of which the use of Bepanthen® eye drops appears sensible and beneficial.

The manufacturer Bayer® specifies “dryness of the eyes” as the overriding indication. But what does it actually mean to have dry eyes and what are the causes of dry eyes?

The human eye is normally covered by a thin film of tears, which protects the eye from foreign bodies and dirt. Another important task of the tear film is the supply of nutrients to the cornea, which forms the top layer of the eye. This tear film can be disturbed due to various causes.

A very common cause is the widespread display of screen activity these days. The eyes tire quickly and there is less blinking. As a result, the tear film is not distributed properly and the eyes are dry. Aside from screen activities, there are many other causes of dry eyes. This includes environmental influences such as drafts, air conditioning, exhaust gases and heating air.

Medicines, especially beta blockers, hormones or sleeping pills, can also lead to dry eyes.

Another cause of dry eyes can be an underlying disease that leads to a wetting disorder. This means, for example, diabetes mellitus, a rheumatism, thyroid or vascular disease or even conjunctivitis.

With increasing age there is also a physiological decrease in the tear film, and menopause in women and the associated lack of estrogen can also be the cause.

Contact lenses are another common cause. Similar to eye operations or laser corrections, these lead to mechanical stress on the eye that disrupts the tear film.

A rather rare cause of dry eyes is a vitamin A deficiency.

Ultimately, Bepanthen® eye drops can be used for a wide variety of wetting disorders and for wetting and rewetting of soft and hard contact lenses.

Read more about this under Eye drops for dry eyes, furthermore you could Bepanthen® eyes and nasal ointment interested.

Use for corneal injuries

Bepanthen-Augentropfen® can be suitable for the supportive treatment of corneal injuries.

Corneal injuries usually need to be treated with ointment bandages and antibiotic eye drops as there is a risk of infection. Therapeutic contact lenses can also be considered as a treatment option. In any case, a corneal injury should be seen by an ophthalmologist so that correct treatment can be given. Light and superficial injuries usually heal very well, whereas deeper injuries, acid or alkali chemical burns and burns without specialist medical treatment can have serious consequences for vision.

Use in conjunctivitis

Bepanthen® eye drops are very good for treating a so-called Keratoconjunctivitis sicca (Conjunctivitis) suitable.

This type of conjunctivitis is non-infectious, but can be caused by different causes that disrupt the tear film. The result is dry eyes and irritation of the conjunctiva. Redness, a burning sensation or a foreign body sensation, itching, reddening of the eyelid and blurred vision can result. Tear substitutes, such as the Bepanthen® eye drops, are the first choice for the drug treatment of such conjunctivitis.

Allergic conjunctivitis can also be treated with Bepanthen® eye drops.

It is different, however, with infectious conjunctivitis. These usually require antibiotic therapy.

Read more about this under Conjunctivitis

effect

Bepanthen® eye drops contain two active ingredients that help alleviate the symptoms of dry eyes: dexpanthenol and sodium hyaluronate.

The active ingredient dexpanthenol is a precursor of vitamin B, a so-called provitamin. It accumulates well in the area of ​​application, increases the moisture retention capacity of the eyes and also cares for them. Furthermore, Dexpanthenol has itch-relieving, anti-inflammatory and wound healing properties and so soothes the eyes effectively. These effects of dexpanthenol also explain why it is used not only in eye drops, but also in various ointments, skin creams, shampoos, nasal sprays and contact lens cleaning products.

The second active ingredient in Bepanthen® eye drops is sodium hyaluronate. This sodium salt of hyaluronic acid forms a stable and protective film on the cornea due to its water-binding properties and thus acts as a replacement for the lack of tear fluid. In combination with one another, these active ingredients can effectively stabilize the tear film and thus alleviate the symptoms that arise from dryness in the eyes.

Side effects

In general, Bepanthen® eye drops are very well tolerated and are therefore often used with great pleasure.

However, side effects can occur in rare cases. Intolerance or hypersensitivity to one of the ingredients can lead to irritation, redness and, in very rare cases, contact allergies. Visual acuity may be slightly impaired immediately after using the eye drops. This is usually short-lived. Nevertheless, no machines should be operated or motor vehicles driven during this time.

Furthermore, occasionally slight irritation of the eye can occur immediately after the application of Bepanthen eye drops. In extremely rare cases, corneal injuries and regular use of Bepanthen eye drops can lead to the formation of extensive calcareous plates on the cornea due to the phosphate buffer and calcium salts in the cornea.

application

Bepanthen-Augentropfen® are available as single-dose bottles as well as multi-dose bottles. The application differs only slightly from each other.

Use of Bepanthen eye drops in a single-dose container: First of all, a single single-dose container must be separated from the rest. You should make sure that the other containers have not been damaged, otherwise they will have to be discarded. Then the container is opened by twisting off the bottle neck - not pulling it. For application, the head is now placed on the neck. Your eyes should be directed upwards. With one hand you pull the lower eyelid slightly away from the eye and with the other hand carefully apply a drop into the conjunctival sac of the eye. Now you close your eyes slowly so that the liquid can spread evenly over the eye. Care should be taken not to touch the eye with the bottle.

Use of Bepanthen eye drops in the multi-dose bottle: To open the bottle, pull the prefabricated tab on the bottle neck so that the safety ring is removed. Now you can remove the cap and apply the eye drops in the same way as for use in the single-dose container. It is important not to touch the bottle opening with your hands or eyes. Any droplets on the bottle opening should be removed by tapping the bottom of the bottle gently. Now the cap is put back on.

Contraindications

There are few contraindications to be considered when using Bepanthen® eye drops.

An important contraindication are known allergies or hypersensitivity to one or more of the contained ingredients.

Furthermore, Bepanthen® eye drops should not be used if the containers are damaged. In addition, single-dose containers are only intended for single use as they do not contain any preservatives. Remnants of the solution must therefore no longer be used. After the expiry date, the eye drops must be discarded

Use on injured and infected eyes should also be avoided.

If several eye drops and / or eye ointments are used at the same time, they should be used 15 minutes apart. In this case, Bepanthen eye drops should be used as the last preparation.

dosage

With each application, one drop of the eye drop should be applied to each eye. This process can be repeated between 3 and 5 times a day for each eye, depending on the symptoms and feeling of dryness.

In the case of longer-term use, however, the cause of the complaints should be clarified, otherwise it cannot be eliminated. A doctor should be consulted as soon as possible, even if symptoms persist despite the Bepanthen® eye drops.

price

The price for Bepanthen® eye drops varies slightly depending on the pharmacy. Sometimes you can find discounted offers or volume discounts in online pharmacies. Even in ordinary pharmacies you can often find discounts on over-the-counter products that have to be purchased privately.

The price for a multi-dose bottle of Bepanthen® -augentropfen (Bepanthen® -augentropfen, 10 ml) is around 9.20 euros, the total price varies between 8 and 10 euros. The single-dose containers (Bepanthen® eye drops, 20x0.5ml) are also in the same price range.

Alternative preparations

Apart from Bepanthen® eye drops, there are other alternative preparations that are well suited for moistening the eye and stabilizing the tear film. This includes various hyaluronic acid eye drops, such as Artelac® Splash EDO®, Hylo-Vision® Gel sine or dm® / The healthy Plus® eye drops.

Apart from hyaluronic acid eye drops, various hypromellose eye drops can also be used as alternatives to Bepanthen eye drops. Similar to hyaluronic acid, hypromellose also promotes moisture in the eye and stabilizes the tear film. Examples of preparations in this group are Berberil® Dry Eye and Artelac® EDO®.

Use in pregnancy

The use of Bepanthen-Augentropfen® is harmless as long as there are no hypersensitivities or allergies to the ingredients it contains. Provided that the general instructions for the use of Bepanthen eye drops are observed and followed, nothing speaks against the use of Bepanthen® eye drops during pregnancy.

Use in babies

In principle, using Bepanthen® eye drops on babies is harmless. However, it is very important to determine the cause of dry eyes. In babies and children, an underlying disease is usually hidden behind dry eyes, so that although eye drops provide relief, they cannot eliminate the cause.Therefore, a pediatrician should be consulted in any case and, if necessary, a specialized ophthalmologist should be consulted.

Before using Bepanthen® eye drops on an infant, the pediatrician or a specialized ophthalmologist should be consulted to be sure.

Use on contact lenses

Bepanthen® eye drops can also be used with hard and soft contact lenses. The contact lenses do not have to be removed for use. However, regular breaks from contact lenses are recommended in order to protect the eyes and the stressed tear film.

Read more about this: Dry eyes from contact lenses