When one hears the word acid, they immediately think of something that can cause damage and would certainly be painful to use in or around the eyes. Nothing could be further from the truth with regards to hypochlorous acid or HOCL when used to help alleviate dry eye symptoms.
Hypochlorous acid or (HOCL) has a long history in the medical community. It was first used as wound care and to treat infections in World War I. HOCL is a naturally occurring compound in our body, produced by our immune system. It is produced by our white blood cells to respond to pathogens in the body. It has the same active ingredient as household bleach but with a much different chemical structure and is delivered in a much lower concentration, (0.2% vs 5-10%).
How does HOCL help our dry eye patients?
In eye care, HOCL can provide effective relief from dry eyes and styes. We use it on patients that have red, itchy eyelids associated with a condition called blepharitis and meibomian gland dysfunction. The skin around our eyes including the eyelids is home to a diverse microbiome (bacteria, fungi, and viruses). Full eradication of this microbiome is rarely beneficial. Really what we are trying to do is simply reduce the overall bacterial load. In addition, HOCL products are not antibiotics and do not contribute to the ever-growing issue of antibiotic resistance.
BIHOCL spray has become part of our foundational treatment for our dry eye patients. It is simply sprayed on closed eyes once per day at night after your normal eyelid cleansing routine. The spray is left on the eyelids to air dry. It is perfectly comfortable and doesn’t sting. Listed below are the benefits that we have seen when using BIHOCL spray:
- Reduced redness around eyelids, especially the eyelid margin
- Faster resolution of styes
- Less stickiness of the eyelids upon awakening
To learn more about BIHOCL spray please reach out to our team or ask one of our doctors. If you are looking to purchase BIHOCL we have it in stock in our practice or you can order online here.
