CARBOMER 0.2% EYE GEL

Other medicines and Viscotears

VISCOTEARS® LIQUID GEL
CARBOMER 0.2% EYE GEL
(carbomer)

Tell your doctor or pharmacist if you are using, have recently used or might use any other
medicines.
If you are using other eye drop or eye ointment medicines, wait at least 5 minutes
between each medicine. Viscotears should always be the last eye drops used.

PATIENT INFORMATION LEAFLET

Pregnancy and breast-feeding

Your eye drops are available using the names Viscotears Liquid Gel / Carbomer 0.2% Eye Gel,
but will be referred to as Viscotears throughout this leaflet.

If you are pregnant or breast-feeding, think you may be pregnant or are planning to have a
baby, ask your doctor or pharmacist for advice before taking this medicine.

Please read this leaflet carefully before you start to use Viscotears. It contains
important information.
• Keep the leaflet in a safe place because you may want to read it again.
• Do not share these eye drops with anyone else just in case you have an eye infection which
you could pass on.
• If you have any other questions, or if there is something you don’t understand, please ask
your pharmacist.
• If any of the side effects gets serious, or if you notice any side effects not listed in this
leaflet, please tell your doctor or pharmacist.

Viscotears contains cetrimide

In
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.

A preservative in Viscotears (cetrimide) may cause eye irritation and is also known to discolour
soft contact lenses.
If you wear contact lenses, you should remove them before using Viscotears and wait at
least 15 minutes before putting your lenses back in.

Driving and using machines

Some people may find that their vision is blurred immediately after using Viscotears. If affected,
wait until your vision clears before you drive or use machinery.

this leaflet:
What Viscotears is and what it’s used for
Things to consider before you start to use Viscotears
How to use Viscotears
Possible side effects
How to store Viscotears
Further information

1.

What Viscotears is and what it’s used for

2.

Things to consider before you start to use Viscotears

3.

The usual dosage is:

Adults (including the elderly): One drop in each affected eye, three or four times a day.
Children and adolescents aged to 18 years:
The safety and efficacy of Viscotears in children and adolescents at the posology recommended
in adults has been established by clinical experience, but no clinical trial data are available.
If you are not sure ask your doctor or pharmacist.

Viscotears contains the active ingredient, carbomer (polyacrylic acid). Viscotears is used to
make your eyes more comfortable when they feel dry. It is one of a group of eye drops called
‘artificial tears’.

How to use your eye drops
1.
2.

DO NOT use Viscotears if:
•

If you are allergic to carbomer or any of the other ingredients of this medicine (listed in
section 6).

Take special care:

In children and adolescents aged to 18 years, the safety and efficacy of Viscotears at the
posology recommended in adults has been established by clinical experience, but no clinical trial
data are available.

Warnings and precautions
•
•

•
•

Only use Viscotears in your eye(s).
If you have problems with your eyes apart from sore or dry eyes talk to your doctor or
pharmacist before you start to use Viscotears.
If you experience eye pain, vision changes, irritation of the eyes, persistent redness, or if
the condition worsens or persists, discontinue use and consult your doctor.
If you are taking other medicines. Please, also read the section “Using other medicines”.

How to use Viscotears

If your doctor has prescribed Viscotears he/she will tell you how and when to use it and the
dose will be on the pharmacist’s label.

Wash your hands.
If you wear contact lenses, remove them before using the drops and do not replace for at
least 15 minutes.
3.
Hold the tube vertically (see figure 1).
4.
Tilt your head backwards (see figure 2).
5.
Rest one hand on your cheek and gently pull down your lower eye lid.
6.
Look upwards.
7.
Insert one drop by squeezing the tube gently (see figure 3).
8.
Blink a few times to spread the liquid gel evenly over your eye.
9.
Wipe away any excess gel from around the eyelids.
10. Repeat for your other eye if required.
NOTE: Do not touch your eye or the surrounding area with the tip of the dropper as this may
cause injury to the eye and contaminate the gel.
If you use more Viscotears than you should, it is not expected that you will suffer any side
effects from this, however, should you notice any problems you think are related, seek medical
attention. Follow the instructions carefully. If there is anything you don’t understand, ask your
pharmacist or doctor.

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Do not use Viscotears Liquid Gel later than four weeks after first opening.

Product Licence holder: BR Lewis Pharmaceuticals Ltd., Kirk Sandall, Doncaster, DN3 1QR.
PL No: 08929/0357

P

Leaflet revision and issue date: 15.04.16

Other Formats:

To listen to or request a copy of this leaflet in Braille, large print or audio call 01302 365000 and
ask for the Regulatory Department.

4.

Please be ready to give the following information:
Product name:
Viscotears Liquid Gel/
Carbomer 0.2% Eye Gel
Reference number:
08929/0357

Possible side effects

Like all medicines, this medicine can cause side effects, although not everybody gets them.
You may experience the following reactions in your eyes:
Very common side effects (may affect more than 1 in 10 people): blurred vision
Common side effects (may affect up to 1 in 10 people): eye discomfort, eyelid crusting, eye
irritation.
Uncommon side effects (may affect up to 1 in 100 people): eye swelling, eye pain, itchy eye,
eye redness, increased tear production.
Or, reactions in other parts of your body:
Uncommon side effects (may affect up to 1 in 100 people): skin inflammation.
Additional side effects from post-marketing experience that have been reported for which the
frequency is not known: Allergic reactions (symptoms may include itching, redness, swelling, or
pain of the eye or redness, swelling or rash of the skin around the eye).

Viscotears® is a registered trademark of Novartis AG.

Reporting of side effects

If you get any side effects, talk to your doctor or pharmacist. This includes any possible side
effects not listed in this leaflet. You can also report side effects directly via the national
reporting system (see details below). By reporting side effects you can help provide more
information on the safety of this medicine.
Yellow Card Scheme
Website: www.mhra.gov.uk/yellowcard

5.

How to store Viscotears

6.

Further information

Keep all medicines out of the sight and reach of children.
Do not store above 25°C.
Discard 4 weeks after first opening.
Do not use the eye drops after the expiry date shown on the tube (EXP). The expiry date refers
to the last day of that month.
Take any unused Viscotears back to your pharmacist to be destroyed. Do not throw it away with
your normal household waste or water. This will help to protect the environment.
Each gram of eye gel contains 2mg of carbomer (polyacrylic acid).
Viscotears also includes: cetrimide, sorbitol, sodium hydroxide and water for injections.
Viscotears is a colourless and translucent liquid gel. It comes in a white, plastic tube with a
dropper nozzle, and a white screw cap and a tamper evident seal.
The tube contains 10g of liquid gel. This is one of a group of medicines called artificial tears.
Manufacturer:
Dr. Gerhard Mann, Chem.-Pharm. Fabrik, Germany.
Procured from within the EU and repackaged by:
Doncaster Pharmaceuticals Group Ltd., Kirk Sandall, Doncaster, DN3 1QR.
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