Top 7 Clean Eye Drops for Daily Comfort 2025
Expert Ranked for Comfort, Ingredients & Feel
Linda Johnson
Vision Specialist
Senior Editor
Most people don’t think twice about how their eyes feel—until drops start stinging, blurring, or feeling off. A small change in hydration can be the difference between effortless clarity or eyes that just feel… off.
While some solutions are messy, expensive, or full of chemicals, there’s a simpler option that fits into ones day: an artificial tear drop that actually works.
As we age, our eyes can feel more tired or less hydrated — especially with screens, air travel, or sleep changes. This takes a toll on our eyes and eyesight. Screen use, environmental stressors, and the natural aging process are still the most common causes that can turn bright eyes into a pair of dull, dry, and uncomfortable balls.
Studies have shown that keeping eyes moisturized daily with a good eye drop is a simple, affordable way to feel better and avoid tough choices down the road. But there are many eye drops on the market, each promising to deliver a quick fix for eyes. Most eye drops either don’t deliver lasting comfort or they’re made with harsh chemicals, causing bigger problems in the long run.
Due to popular demand, we looked over the research, customer reviews and professional recommendations of the best drops out there. We compared various aspects of seven brands to find the “7 Best“ lubricating eye drops for comfort, to start a journey towards a more comfortable life.
We will consider factors such as effectiveness, ingredients, convenience, and price to determine which products are worth the investment. Whether eyes feel off, tired, or just need something clean and gentle, this article will help find the best lubricant eye drop that really works.
Here are the top 7 lubricating drops for comfort in 2025, ranked and reviewed to help people 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 drop, based on evaluations by our researchers, testers, and endorsements from an expert in the field. Testers praised the immediate, soothing hydration feeling provided by Rain Eye Drops. Its preservative-free formula ensures gentle, lasting comfort, making it ideal for daily use. Some people asked us how the drops feel when going into the eye, as that can be a common concern when using artificial tears often, however with the Rain Eye Drops simple formula, it felt light and comfortable on contact, with no stinging and no blur reporte reported.
What sets Rain Eye Drops apart is their commitment to a 100% preservative-free formula, using only clean ingredients made to feel gentle and consistent to support a daily routine of feeling good, giving people more control over their 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 moisture and comfort.
When using products in the eyes, special care must be taken with formulation and ingredients, and product quality. People who regularly need to use drops, along with a practicing expert in the industry, 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 and looked more comfortable and refreshed throughout the day and felt the difference after the first week of using RAIN.
RAIN is based in the USA, and they offer free fast shipping and a 30-day money-back guarantee — so people can try it risk-free and see if it’s the right solution for their eyes, with easy online ordering. Learn more
What users noticed after switching to RAIN
Pros
- 100% preservative free unlike most competitors
- USA based company
- 30-day money back guarantee
- No harsh chemicals
- Gentle high quality formula to soothe
- Feel refreshed in only 1 minute per day
- Helps anyone who needs a gentle formula or who uses drops often.
- Preservative free, Benzalkonium free, Non-GMO
- Expert Recommended and Safe For Daily Use
- Zero harsh feeling afterwards
- 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 is a widely-used eye drop that uses a more traditional formula, including preservatives. Some testers found it functional for occasional use, but others noted it didn’t feel as clean or consistent compared to preservative-free options. It may be best for short-term or infrequent use rather than daily routines.
Pros
- Multidose bottle
- Formulated by Experts
- Specially formulated to work quickly
- Made for moisturizing
- 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 products. Their effective preservative-free formula works to moisturize and wet. 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 products that have both preservative-free formulas and convenient online ordering at a lower price.
Pros
- Features sterile moisture drops
- 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 manufacturer. The company develops, manufactures and markets products for humans and animals.
Earlier last year, Akorn filed for bankruptcy after unease surrounding its quality control methods resulted in a failed takeover bid. Their line of 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 professionals in the field
- Can be used alongside other eye care products
Cons
- Contains preservatives most prefer to avoid
- 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. So it may be best to try it around bedtime and not during the day. Products like this contain glycerin with polysorbates, among other ingredients, so they may have a milky appearance. Some drops need to be shaken before use. Our reviewers noticed an increase in mucus (also known as “eye boogers”) around 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 products even better and more suitable for moisturizing. Visine works as a simple redness remover so our testers were disappointed. Other products do so much more for comfort, moisture, 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 dryness
- 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 leading professionals who lead the study, reading about how the active ingredients actually work leads you to the realization that this product is not designed to moisturize. The active ingredients in fact are intended to constrict blood vessels to cover up redness. This puts a bandaid on the issue and does not provide comfort, which requires 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 moisture
- 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
Take The Dry Eye Quiz To Find The Right Drops!PLEASE ANSWER HONESTLY
