Artificial tears vs. lubricating eye drops

Mostly, they are two names for the same thing. “Artificial tears” is the everyday name for lubricating eye drops: over-the-counter drops whose active ingredients are lubricants.

Where Quell fits

Quell is a lubricating eye drop, with Glycerol (1.0%), Polysorbate 80 (1.0%) and Light Mineral Oil (0.5%) as its actives. The carton’s emu oil panel uses the everyday term too, describing what emu oil does “in artificial tears.”

The differences are in the detail

Products sold under either name vary in their active ingredients, their inactive ingredients and whether they contain a preservative. The name on the front of the box tells you far less than the panel on the back.

What to compare

• The Uses section: what each one is for.
• Active and inactive ingredients, especially if you have allergies.
• Whether there is a preservative.
• The directions, and so how quickly you would use a bottle.

Quell’s version

Preservative-free, built around the tear film’s oil layer, and milky brown because of its natural oil-based ingredients. What are lubricating eye drops? covers the category in full.