Some MDs around the world are noting that a new natural eye drop may be helping relieve the symptoms of their dry eye patients. The new drop is called Oculocin Propo.
There are no studies in any peer-reviewed papers on this new drop and appears to be mostly used in Australia (an ebay post sold this drop in Australia recently).
The key ingredients in Oculocin are Propolis, Aloe Vera, and Chamomilla, which appear to be safe and non-toxic. It is not clear who is making these drops and how they are controlling the sterility of the drops as it appears to be manufactured in Australia.
Dr. Roland Toyos, an eyeMD in Nashville, Tennessee is using them and selling them to his patients.
Time will tell if this is a safe option for patients.
I have not tried these drops yet.
If you have used this drop, please let me know your unbiased opinion (you were not give drop for free or paid by drug reps).
Sandra Lora Cremers, MD, FACS
Here is Dr. Toyo’s statement on the drop:
Oculocin Propo Sterile Natural Eye Drop
New eye drops for Dry Eye Disease (DED) come and go. We are fortunate at Toyos Clinic that we are privy to many medications before they are released through studies. We are currently involved in several FDA and non FDA research projects. Fortunately we sometimes find a drop or medication that our patients really like. Recently we have been studying a drop that we discovered when we were training dry eye specialists in Australia. Oculocin Propo is a new natural eye drop that is utilized to treat the symptoms of conjunctivitis (inflammation of the outer layer of the eye) and Dry Eye Disease. The key ingredients in Oculocin are Propolis, Aloe Vera, and Chamomilla. You may have heard of these ingredients in other familiar products. So my first concern was does this drop sting? It is the exact opposite – all the patients that tried Oculocin in one study stated that the drop felt great on contact. One reason may be that Oculocin is preservative free and comes in sterile vials. Studies conducted on dry eye patients demonstrated no allergic reactions, stinging, or burning.
How will it help DED? I believe that the active ingredients in Oculocin need more studies but we do know that studies have shown that Propolis is a resin-like substance found in plants. Actually bees take this resin from plants back to their hives to coat their hives. (Does the resin coat the ocular surface?) We know that Propolis has antibacterial and antifungal properties to protect the plant. (Can Propolis fight the lid infection (Blepharitis)? A common sequelae of Dry Eye Disease.) It has been know for centuries that the plant based Aloe Vera and Chamomile have anti-inflammatory properties. It has been documented that patients on Oculocin had decreased lid and eye inflammation. Patients have reported that their eyes felt less irritated during the day with the administration of one drop of Oculocin. The only other drop that we have utilized that can claim the same effect is certain topical non-steroidal and steroidal medications. Steroids have the side effect profile of glaucoma and cataracts and it is a major reason that we do not recommend the drop for regular use. We have shown that non-steroidal drops are safer for long term use to decrease irritation but it does not have an anti-bacterial or coating effect.
Our colleagues at the Dry Eye Centre in Melbourne, Australia have been using Oculocin since its release and state that they have also seen an anti-inflammatory and anti-bacterial effect in their patients. We are considering conducting more studies on Oculocin. In our clinic if 70% of our patients give a DED drop a positive review we will recommend it for trial use. (Remember our clinic probably sees some of the most severe DED patients in the world.) It could be that Oculocin could be one of the drops that make our cut. Stay tuned for more info concerning Oculocin. As always more information on participation in any of our dry eye disease studies call 1-888-315-3937
How will it help DED? I believe that the active ingredients in Oculocin need more studies but we do know that studies have shown that Propolis is a resin-like substance found in plants. Actually bees take this resin from plants back to their hives to coat their hives. (Does the resin coat the ocular surface?) We know that Propolis has antibacterial and antifungal properties to protect the plant. (Can Propolis fight the lid infection (Blepharitis)? A common sequelae of Dry Eye Disease.) It has been know for centuries that the plant based Aloe Vera and Chamomile have anti-inflammatory properties. It has been documented that patients on Oculocin had decreased lid and eye inflammation. Patients have reported that their eyes felt less irritated during the day with the administration of one drop of Oculocin. The only other drop that we have utilized that can claim the same effect is certain topical non-steroidal and steroidal medications. Steroids have the side effect profile of glaucoma and cataracts and it is a major reason that we do not recommend the drop for regular use. We have shown that non-steroidal drops are safer for long term use to decrease irritation but it does not have an anti-bacterial or coating effect.
Our colleagues at the Dry Eye Centre in Melbourne, Australia have been using Oculocin since its release and state that they have also seen an anti-inflammatory and anti-bacterial effect in their patients. We are considering conducting more studies on Oculocin. In our clinic if 70% of our patients give a DED drop a positive review we will recommend it for trial use. (Remember our clinic probably sees some of the most severe DED patients in the world.) It could be that Oculocin could be one of the drops that make our cut. Stay tuned for more info concerning Oculocin. As always more information on participation in any of our dry eye disease studies call 1-888-315-3937
http://www.toyosclinic.com/