Value Village ／ Health
This answer is a draft. It stays unpublished until legal review and source verification are complete.
With more screen time, an estimated 20 million people in Japan complain of dry or tired eyes. Here is how to choose over-the-counter (OTC) eye drops in Japan, and where ideas about "how often to use them", "contact lenses" and "cooling drops" go wrong, based on materials from the Japanese Ophthalmological Society and the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare (MHLW).
| Item | Detail | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Estimated dry eye | About 20 million people (Japan) | Japanese Ophthalmological Society; Dry Eye Society |
| Blinking | Normally about 20 times a minute → about 5–7 times when staring at a screen | General ophthalmology explanation |
| Screen work | No more than 1 hour at a stretch, then a 10–15 minute break; screen below eye level (looking down narrows the eye opening, so the eye dries less) | MHLW guidelines |
| Types of OTC eye drops | Artificial tears (人工涙液, jinkō ruieki; close to natural tears): for dryness ／ Redness relievers (vasoconstrictors): rebound redness with repeated use ／ Cooling (menthol): the sensation feels good, nothing more ／ Antibacterial: styes etc. | General pharmacist explanation |
| How often | Artificial tears up to 5–6 times a day (product label). If you need more, use preservative-free single-use vials | Product labels |
| Contact lenses | Only drops labelled for use while wearing lenses. Hard lenses: yes; soft lenses: depends on the product | Product labels |
| When to see a doctor | Dryness, grittiness or blurring that continues; no improvement with OTC drops; pain or reduced vision | Eye clinic |
[Verify] Check the estimated number against the Dry Eye Society, blink rates against standard ophthalmology texts, and the guidelines against the MHLW.
They top up moisture for a while. If symptoms continue, have your tears tested at an eye clinic. Prescription drops are different from OTC drops.
Drops with preservative: up to 5–6 times a day. If you need more, go preservative-free. After a drop, press gently on the inner corner of the eye and do not blink repeatedly.
The cool feeling is menthol irritation and has nothing to do with relieving dryness. Some people avoid strongly cooling drops.
Repeated vasoconstrictor use causes rebound redness. Have the cause of the redness (dryness, allergy, inflammation) checked at an eye clinic.
About one month after opening (product label). Single-use vials: the same day. Do not let the tip touch your eye or lashes.
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https://www.nichigan.or.jp/public/disease/
https://www.mhlw.go.jp/content/000539604.pdf
https://www.jsmi.jp/
⚠️ Editorial note: the source URLs above were identified by search. Our working environment cannot reach go.jp domains, so the contents have not been checked against the text. Verify every source before publication and record who checked it and when.
What we share here are ideas and everyday practices passed down among people living in Japan, together with general information drawn from public sources. They are not official recommendations, and they are not professional instruction. Practices vary between households and regions.
This is general information. Results vary from person to person and depend on your own conditions and surroundings.
Please decide for yourself, using your own judgement, whether any of this suits your situation. We cannot accept responsibility for any damage, loss or injury arising from following this article.
This article is not meant to diagnose or manage any specific medical condition. If you are worried about your health, see a doctor rather than relying on your own judgement.
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