Thick versus watery. Thicker tears and ointments will stay on your eyes longer, but they can temporarily make your vision blurry. Ointments work best at night when it s impractical to keep getting up and applying tears. Dr. Taub suggests that you use thicker tears during the day when thinner tears stop working their magic. You can tell if tears are thick or thin by checking the active ingredients.
Thicker tears contain methylcellulose.
Preservatives versus no preservatives. Preservative isn t necessarily a bad word. It makes your bottle of tears last longer. Tears without a preservative can only be used right after opening and then must be thrown away, which makes them more expensive. Some people, however, find tears containing preservatives to be irritating, says Dr. Taub.