Murine Dry & Tired Eyes Eye Drops

*~*Introduction*~*

I suffer with dry eyes quite frequently which if left untreated can become sore so using eye drops/ gels has become part of my daily routine.

I am a big fan of the more gel based artificial tears type of products and a favourite of mine is Viscotears (see separate review). I recently had my eyes tested and my optician mentioned a different variety that may suit my eyes more called 'Murine' for dry and tired eyes. I took all the information on board that he mentioned, but as the price at my local opticians exceeded £5 I decided to stick to Viscotears for now.

On a recent trip to Superdrug for something unrelated I happened to notice that they stocked Murine drops and were half price at £2.39 (normally £4.79 at Superdrug) so I decided to try them as the price was quite reasonable.

*~*Price, packaging & availability*~*

Murine comes in a standard thin cardboard box which houses the small 15 ml bottle securely. There's nothing overly decorative about the packaging, suffice to say it's predominantly white and green with a close up picture of an eye on the front with the logo in a bold blue font. It certainly stands out compared to say Optrex for example which tends to be a plainer blue packaging, but that's about all there is to say except that the box does seem sturdy despite being thin so seems to protect the bottle adequately.

Once opened there is a white plastic bottle inside. The bottle varies from the usual cylindrical fare as it is flatter from the side angle whilst from the front it as a more tear shaped design (very apt) and is quite basic being mainly all white with just the logo and relevant information printed on the front and the back. There is a small fiddly lid covering the nozzle and this needs twisting firmly at first to break the seal then it is quite easy to remove and replace for the following times it is used.

Availability wise, I had not particularly heard of this brand until my optician mentioned it, but after buying it in Superdrug I have since seen it in various pharmacies and even the odd large Supermarket. If in doubt about certain stores it's best to head for your local chemist where it's more likely to be stocked.

As mentioned in my opening paragraphs, this is usually around the £5 mark, though this is entirely dependent on where you shop as it was nearly £6 (£5.89 to be exact) at my opticians so it's worth looking around if interested in buying it.

*~*What are they, what do they contain and who can use these?*~*

Murine have been designed entirely for people suffering from tired and dry eyes (sums me up perfectly) and is formulated from 2 lubricants for the eyes. Because of this, they state that the gel is quite thick to help stay in the eye area so they may make vision blurry for a longer period than just regular eye drops.

Murine is made purified water amongst other tongue twisting ingredients which if interested can be seen on the side of the packaging though I will state it does say that it is PH adjusted for comfort with Sodium Hydroxide.

The usual applies here that once opened they are to be discarded after 28 days and they are to be stored at room temperature of below 25 degrees.

The directions are simple enough and require no degrees as such to use:

Tilt head back and apply one or two drops to each eye. It states that these are suitable for both children and adults though there is no mention of what age children can use these from so I suggest if wanting them for children it's advisable to check with a doctor or pharmacist before applying.

*~*My experience of using this*~*

I am a big fan of Viscotears as it creates artificial tears and is a gel based product so I was a little wary when I was originally recommended this particularly as I hadn't heard of the brand before.
On picking up the box in Superdrug and scrutinising it thoroughly I was pleased to see that though these are actually drops they are made from a gel based substance so I did like the sound of them the more I read on. If I have one qualm with my beloved Viscotears it is that the gel is rather thick and whilst it works effectively at soothing my dry eyes it can also take quite a while for the gel to disperse leaving my vision blurred for up to 10 minutes sometimes (which as you can imagine is quite inconvenient). These drops claim to lubricate and moisturise the eyes whilst soothing and helping eradicate discomfort.

So the question is..do they work?

*~*Results?*~*

On following the directions of applying one or two drops I personally found that two drops per eye seemed enough to suffice as one drop seemed to make little impact. The actual liquid itself is colour free and there is no fragrance at all - not even the usual witch hazel based aroma that seems to accompany such products such as these. The consistency is relatively thick for an eye gel - thicker than an average water based eye drop, though compared to my usual Viscotears it seems very thin and watery in comparison.

On applying the drops to each eye I felt an instant cooling sensation and luckily there was no stinging on each occasion, which I have experienced in the past with similar products.

My eyes didn't seem too blurry afterwards either which was a surprise as these type of gel eye drops seemed renowned for this, but Murine seems to differ here.

My eyes go through stages of feeling drier than normal over different time periods which is when I reach for these type of products. Recently I seem to have been using my laptop more than usual, and my eyes seem to have been obviously suffering more because of this so using Murine has been a perfect antidote the the drying and tired effects.

*~*Recommended?*~*

I have just finished using the small bottle of Murine eye drops and I have nothing but praise for this product. The drops are thick enough to 'linger' on the eyeball enough to coat it thoroughly whilst not causing much blurriness to vision at all (well not to me anyway). My eyes have felt instantly soothed, moisturised and instantly refreshed when using and I will definitely buy theses again in the future despite the price being full or on offer.

If you suffer with tired, gritty or dry eyes (or all 3) then these are highly recommended by me as the gel doesn't run away down your cheeks before getting into your eyes like some water based drops can do.

*~*Overall*~*

A fantastic eye gel in a drop from that soothes and refreshes and because of the compact size can be easily stored in your bag or pocket whilst out and about. Personally I store these overnight in my fridge and they feel even more refreshing when applied first thing the next morning, but that's just my preference.

5/5