Ask for 'eye drops for dryness' at an Indian pharmacy and you are handed one of these two. They are both artificial tears sold without prescription, and they differ in the polymer doing the work: Refresh Tears uses carboxymethylcellulose, a straightforward viscosity agent; Systane uses polyethylene glycol with HP-guar, which forms a light gel when it meets the tear film. That single difference drives everything below — comfort, blur, and how often you reach for the bottle.
Medically reviewed by Dr. Balaji Krishnan, MBBS · Updated September 2026
Our verdict
Both are genuine lubricants, not medicines — neither treats the cause of dry eye. Refresh Tears (carboxymethylcellulose 0.5%) is the lighter, blink-and-go drop that suits mild screen dryness and frequent dosing. Systane (PEG-400 with HP-guar) gels slightly on contact and holds longer, which is what you want when drops stop lasting past an hour. If you are using any drop more than four times a day, switch to a preservative-free unit-dose version of either — the preservative, not the brand, is usually what starts stinging.
Written by the PingMeDoc™ doctor team. We stock the products below — the verdict above doesn't change based on what earns us more.
Pick Refresh Tears if…
Your eyes feel gritty by evening after screens, you want something light that does not blur, and you dose two to three times a day.
Shop Refresh TearsPick Systane if…
Drops stop working within an hour, your dryness is worse in AC or wind, or an optometrist has called it evaporative dry eye — the gelling formula holds longer per drop.
Shop Systane| Refresh Tears | Systane | |
|---|---|---|
| Active polymer | Carboxymethylcellulose 0.5% | PEG-400 + propylene glycol with HP-guar |
| How long one drop lasts | Shorter — suits frequent dosing | Longer — gels on the tear film |
| Blur after instilling | Minimal | A few seconds |
| Mild screen dryness | Well matched | Works, may be more than needed |
| Moderate / evaporative dry eye | Often needs re-dosing | Holds better between doses |
| Preservative-free option | Yes — unit-dose vials | Yes — Systane UD vials |
| Prescription needed | No | No |
≈₹120–₹250 per 10 ml bottle
Light CMC drop — comfortable enough to use often
Where it loses: Relief is shorter — moderate dry eye often means reaching for it every hour or two, which gets expensive and, in preserved multi-dose bottles, irritating. Check whether you have the preserved bottle or the preservative-free vials before blaming the drop.
drop - 10 ml
Allergan India Pvt Ltd
Prescription required
Check delivery at checkout
≈₹180–₹420 depending on variant and pack
HP-guar gelling formula — fewer drops, longer hold
Where it loses: The gelling action causes a few seconds of blur on instillation — fine at a desk, not while driving. The range is confusing: Ultra, Complete, Balance and the unit-dose UD are genuinely different products, so buy the one your optometrist named rather than whatever says Systane.
