A whole wall of eye drops

Walk into any Japanese drugstore and you will find an entire wall of eye drops: for tired eyes, for red eyes, for contact lens wearers, for hay fever season. Using them is as normal in Japan as using lip balm is here. People keep a bottle on their desk, in their bag and in the car.

The name everyone knows is Rohto. What sets Japanese eye drops apart is the experience. Many of them use menthol and camphor to create a cooling sensation, and the intensity is often printed on the box on a scale. That means you can choose anything from a gentle, barely noticeable drop to an icy jolt that wakes you right up.

It is also worth knowing that these are not cosmetics. In Japan, eye drops like these are sold as over-the-counter medication. They contain active ingredients in set concentrations, come with usage instructions, and should be treated with the same respect as anything else from a pharmacy.

Rohto Lycee vs Rohto Z! Pro

Both target tired, red eyes, but they feel completely different and are made for different moments.

Brightening and gentle

Rohto Lycee

Light cooling

The compact pink bottle. It targets redness and tired eyes, and the pink colour comes from vitamin B12. It also contains zinc sulfate, chondroitin sulfate and an antihistamine for itchiness, with a light rose scent and a clean, refreshing feel.

Shop Rohto Lycee

Maximum cooling

Rohto Z! Pro

Intense cooling

The strongest cooling sensation in the Rohto range. Made for tired, overworked eyes after long days behind a screen, driving or sport. Besides a redness reliever and an antihistamine, it contains neostigmine and vitamin B6, which target eye fatigue from focusing.

Shop Rohto Z! Pro

In short: choose Lycee if you want brighter, calmer eyes with a gentle feel. Choose Z! Pro if your eyes feel heavy and tired and you want that instant, icy wake-up.

The ingredient behind whiter eyes

Both drops contain tetrahydrozoline, a redness reliever. It temporarily narrows the small blood vessels on the white of the eye, which is why red eyes look clearer within minutes. It works well, but it comes with one important catch.

If you use a redness reliever very often or for a long time, your eyes can get used to it. When you stop, the redness may come back stronger than before. This is called rebound redness. That is why these drops are meant for occasional use, not as a daily habit to keep your eyes white.

The other ingredients support comfort. The antihistamine helps with itching, vitamins B6 and B12 support tired eyes, and chondroitin sulfate helps protect the surface of the eye. Menthol and camphor are responsible for the cooling feeling.

Using Japanese eye drops the right way

1. Remove soft contact lensesTake them out before you use the drops and wait at least 15 minutes before putting them back in.
2. Wash your handsClean hands keep bacteria away from the bottle and your eyes.
3. Tilt your head back and apply 1 to 3 dropsPull your lower eyelid down gently and let the drops fall in. Do not let the tip touch your eye, eyelashes or fingers.
4. Close your eyes for a momentKeep them closed for about a minute and press lightly on the inner corner. This keeps the drops in your eye longer.
5. Follow the label for frequencyThe package states how many times a day you can use them. Do not use more often than that.

What Japanese eye drops cannot do

Rohto drops are great for occasional red or tired eyes: after a long flight, a day behind a screen, or a night with too little sleep. The cooling feeling is genuinely pleasant and the whitening effect is quick.

But they are not a treatment for chronic dry eyes. If your eyes feel dry every day, a preservative-free artificial tear without a redness reliever is a better daily choice, and it is worth discussing with an optician or doctor. And if you find yourself reaching for redness drops every day, that is a sign to take a break and find out what is behind the redness.