
“Top 7“ Dry Eye Lubricating Drops of 2023
Expert Ranked by Comfort, Ingredients & Dry Eye Relief

Linda Johnson
Vision Specialist
Senior Editor
Healthy, comfortable eyes are something most people take for granted — until they start feeling dry, gritty, or irritated. Even slight shifts in your eyes’ moisture can mean the difference between clear, comfortable vision and persistent burning, stinging, redness, or discomfort.
While eye plug surgery or medications can be unpleasant or expensive, there's another solution that's more affordable and convenient for most people: an artificial tear drop that actually works.
Our eyes lose natural moisture as we age which contributes to dry eye syndrome. This takes a toll on the health of your eyes and eyesight. Lasik, contacts, genetics, and our natural aging process are still the most common causes that can turn our bright healthy eyes into a pair of irritated red balls.
Studies have shown that keeping your eyes moisturized daily with a good eye drop is an easy and affordable way to get relief and avoid the need for more costly and intrusive treatments later. But there are many eye drops on the market, each promising to deliver a quick fix for dry eyes. Most eye drops either don’t bring lasting relief or they’re made with harsh chemicals, causing you bigger problems in the long run.
Due to popular demand, we looked over the research, customer reviews and doctor recommendations of the best eye drops out there. We compared various aspects of seven brands to find the “7 Best“ lubricating eye drops for dry eyes, to start your journey towards more healthy comfortable vision.
We will consider factors such as effectiveness, ingredients, convenience, and price to determine which products are worth your investment. Whether you suffer from eye irritation, itching, redness, blurry vision, discomfort, or you just want to use the best eye drop, this article will help you find the best lubricant eye drop for your needs that works.
Here are the top 7 lubricating drops for dry eyes in 2025, ranked and reviewed to help you make an informed decision:
- Quality Rating: 10/10
- Expert Rating: 9.9/10
- Users Rating: 9.8/10
RAIN™, a trusted brand, emerged as the top-rated dry eye drop, based on evaluations by our researchers, testers, and endorsements from an ophthalmologist. Testers praised the immediate, soothing hydration results provided by Rain Eye Drops. Its preservative-free formula ensures gentle, lasting relief, making it ideal for daily use. Some people asked us how the drops feel when going into your eye, as that can be a common concern when using artificial tears often, however with the Rain Eye Drops simple formula, it provided rapid relief with no sensitivity and no blurry vision reported.
What sets Rain Eye Drops apart is their commitment to a 100% preservative-free formula, using only clean ingredients designed to help avoid irritation, deliver consistent relief, and support a healthier vision care routine, giving you more control over your eye comfort.
Rain Eye Drops is the only brand on the market that offers a 100% Preservative Free line of eye drops with a more natural formula free from harsh chemicals, the #1 essential element for lasting dry eye relief and protection.
When using products in the eyes, special care must be taken with formulation and ingredients, and product quality. People who regularly suffer from dry eyes, along with a practicing ophthalmologist, tested Rain and felt very confident with the preservative free, non-GMO formula produced only in FDA approved facilities with a solid reputation.
Most of all, they were thrilled by how their eyes felt better and looked noticeably brighter, healthier, and more refreshed in only 7 days of using RAIN.
RAIN is based in the USA, and they offer free fast shipping and a 30-day money-back guarantee — so you can try it risk-free and see if it’s the right solution for your eyes, with easy online ordering. Learn more
RAIN Before and After

Pros
- 100% preservative free unlike most competitors
- USA based company
- 30-day money back guarantee
- No harsh chemicals
- Gentle high quality formula to soothe dry eyes
- Dry eye relief only takes 1 minute per day
- Helps those suffering from severe dry eye, Lasik or contacts
- Preservative free, Benzalkonium free, Non-GMO
- Doctor Recommended and Safe For Daily Use
- Zero harmful side effects
- Blow-Fill-Seal design guarantees drops stay sterile
- Simple and clean formula (nothing hidden in the active or inactive ingredients)
- Produced only in a GMP and FDA approved facility
- Reasonable price compared to other brands (especially with bulk deals)
- Thousands of verified 5 Star Reviews ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
- Unlike most brands, RAIN offers convenient online ordering and subscriptions
- Offers direct purchase from their website at the lowest price with free rush shipping to anywhere in the USA
Cons
- Currently available at the TryRain.com official website
- Products can sometimes be out of stock due to high demand
- It doesn't offer in-store purchases only online (but this does help customers get the best deals on their products)
- Quality Rating: 9.1/10
- Expert Rating: 9.0/10
- Users Rating: 8.1/10
Systane Ultra eye drops are designed for dry eyes but not for frequent use. They recommended “use it as needed” with only 1-2 drops per eye per use. The reason for this may be due to the formula. While better than most, these eye drops still contain some preservatives that can cause irritation in your eyes. If you have sensitivity or severe dry eye then its best to find an alternative with a list of more gentle ingredients, especially if you use eye drops often.
Pros
- Multidose bottle
- Formulated by doctors
- Specially formulated to work quickly
- Made for dry eye relief
- FDA approved facilities
Cons
- Contains some preservatives
- Bad customer support live chat
- Some report poor results
- Reports of irritation when used too frequently
- Quality Rating: 8.7/10
- Expert Rating: 8.6/10
- Users Rating: 8.5/10
Walgreens knows what they’re doing when it comes to personal care products. Their effective preservative-free formula works to rejuvenate dry eyes and moisture without causing irritation from daily use. The product also has numerous reported benefits.
Unfortunately, finding the product can be inconvenient and the $26.41/oz price is quite high. Thankfully, there are other high-quality eye care products that have both preservative-free formulas and convenient online ordering at a lower price.
Pros
- Features sterile moisture drops for dry eyes
- Available in national department stores and sometimes online
- Descriptive explanations as to what their product can do
- Preservative-free eye drop formula
- Walgreens staff recommended
Cons
- One of the most expensive eye drop products on the market at $26.41/oz.
- Must ask staff to unlock anti-theft shelf at Walgreens to buy the product
- Product is not made available directly thru the manufacturer
- Website is hard to navigate
- Quality Rating: 8.1/10
- Expert Rating: 8.0/10
- Users Rating: 7.9/10
Thera Tears is owned by Akorn, an American generic pharmaceuticals manufacturer. The company develops, manufactures and markets generic and prescription drugs as well as animal and consumer health products.
Earlier last year, Akorn filed for bankruptcy after unease surrounding its quality control methods resulted in a failed takeover bid and warning letters from the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Their line of eye drops mostly contain preservatives which gives them a longer shelf life and cheaper packaging requirements.
Pros
- Available online and in certain retailers
- Contains ingredients meant to restore eye’s nature balance
- Email and phone number are provided for questions
- Company was originally started by a doctor
- Can be used alongside other eye care products
Cons
- Contains harmful preservatives
- Bottle tip can easily become contaminated
- Contains Dequest, an oxidative-type preservative
- Some customers have reported problems with eye irritation from daily use
- The packaging reduces the sterilization of the product after opening
- Quality Rating: 7.7/10
- Expert Rating: 7.5/10
- Users Rating: 7.7/10
Retaine MGD’s main ingredient is mineral oil. This formula may be problematic for some users due to blurriness caused in the eye. So it may be best to use it at bedtime and not during the day. Products like this contain glycerin with polysorbates, among other ingredients, so they may have a milky appearance. Some eye drops need to be shaken before use. Our reviewers noticed an increase in eye mucus (also known as “eye boogers”) around our eyes after each use due to all of the thick mineral oils.
Pros
- Preservative free formula
- Available online and in many corner stores
- Made by a company with long established brand recognition
- Sealed vials to ensure sterile packaging and formula
Cons
- Contains mineral oils
- Not recommended for day use or frequent use
- Active ingredients create a thick and milky formula
- Contains chemicals that are extremely dangerous if ingested
- Only best to use before bedtime
- Some customers have reported problems with increased eye mucus and blurriness after use
- Quality Rating: 7.6/10
- Expert Rating: 7.3/10
- Users Rating: 7.7/10
The Visine formula was created in the 1990s by a team that wanted to remove redness from the eyes. This makes for an impressive history and a unique story, but recent advances have made eye drop products even better and more suitable for dry eye symptoms. Visine works as a simple redness remover so our testers were disappointed. Other eye drop products do so much more for actual dry eye relief and lubrication.
Pros
- They offer multiple styles with different purposes of their basic formula
- Available online and in many corner stores
- Made by a company with long established brand recognition
- Very cheap price – less than $2 per bottle
Cons
- Contains harmful preservatives and redness removers
- Not made for dry eyes
- Active ingredients focus on constricting blood vessels
- Contains chemicals that are extremely dangerous if ingested.
- Some customers have reported problems with eye irritation from daily use
- Only for reducing redness
- Quality Rating: 7.1/10
- Expert Rating: 7.2/10
- Users Rating: 6.9/10
Lumify has a wide distribution and actually uses less harmful chemicals in its ingredients than other redness removers. Although it was formulated with doctors leading the studies, reading about how the active ingredients actually work leads you to the realization that this product is not designed to relieve dry eye symptoms. The active ingredients in fact are intended to constrict blood vessels in the eye to cover up redness. This puts a bandaid on the issue and does not address the root cause of dry eyes, which is lack of moisture on the lipid layer.
Pros
- Available through several retailers such as Walgreens, Target, and Wal-Mart
- Targets redness with a lower risk of major side effects
- CVS has it online for $31.98 + tax
- Contains no bleach or dyes
Cons
- Contains harmful preservatives and redness removers
- Active ingredients only work for constricting blood vessels, not for dry eyes
- Contains other active chemicals.
- Some customers have reported problems with eye irritation from daily use
- Small bottle makes it one of the most expensive eye drops per oz
- Weak lubricating effect that does little for dry eyes
Take The Dry Eye Quiz To Find The Right Drops!PLEASE ANSWER HONESTLY
STEP 1 OF 3
Do You Use Eye Drops Everyday?
Skip this step
STEP 2 OF 3
What Level Of Dry Eyes Are You Experiencing?
Skip this step
STEP 3 OF 3
Are You Experiencing Any Of The Following (check all that apply):
Skip this step
Analyzing answers, please wait a moment…
Loading

- Checking For Eye Drops Available
- Analyzing Dry Eye Relief Needed
- Finding Best Eye Drop Match