TheraTears Lubricant Eye Drops are approved for use with contact lenses. The formula does not contain benzalkonium chloride (BAK), the preservative most likely to cause problems for contact lens wearers. That said, how you use the drops matters just as much as which drops you choose.
Why BAK-Free Matters for Contacts
The biggest concern with using eye drops while wearing contacts is preservative buildup. Benzalkonium chloride, the most common preservative in eye drops, concentrates inside soft contact lenses during storage and wear. Over time, this buildup can irritate the cornea and damage the surface of the eye. TheraTears uses sodium perborate instead of BAK. Sodium perborate breaks down into water and oxygen on contact with the eye, so it doesn’t accumulate in lens material the way traditional preservatives do.
How TheraTears Works on Dry Eyes
TheraTears is a hypotonic formula, meaning it has a lower salt concentration than the tears your eyes produce when they’re dry. That’s intentional. When your eyes are dry, especially from evaporation, your remaining tears become saltier than normal. This pulls water out of the cells on your eye’s surface through osmosis, which damages mucus-producing cells called goblet cells. Losing those cells makes the problem worse because they help your tear film stick evenly across the eye.
The lower salt concentration in TheraTears helps restore normal tear balance and encourages those goblet cells to recover. The drops also contain a specific blend of electrolytes (calcium, magnesium, potassium, bicarbonate, and others) that match what healthy tears naturally carry. The surface of your eye has no blood supply, so it depends entirely on your tear film for nutrients and oxygen. Getting that electrolyte balance right is more important than most people realize.
Using the Drops With Your Lenses In
TheraTears is approved for use while contacts are on your eyes, which makes it convenient for midday dryness. You can apply a drop or two directly onto the lens when your eyes feel dry or gritty. This is one of the advantages of a BAK-free formula: you don’t need to remove your lenses first.
That said, general guidance from lens manufacturers like CooperVision recommends removing contacts before using most eye drops, then waiting about 15 minutes before reinserting them. This allows the drops to fully absorb into your eye tissue without the lens acting as a barrier. If your dryness is significant or you’re using the drops frequently throughout the day, removing your lenses before application will give you better results. For a quick refresh at your desk, applying over your lenses is fine.
Soft Lenses vs. Rigid Lenses
Soft contact lenses are made of flexible, water-absorbing plastics. This is exactly why preservative choice matters so much: soft lenses act like sponges that can soak up whatever you put on them. Because TheraTears avoids BAK, it won’t leave harmful residue trapped in soft lens material.
Rigid gas permeable lenses (RGPs) are more resistant to absorbing chemicals and less prone to deposit buildup in general. TheraTears is safe with both types, but if you wear RGPs, preservative absorption is less of a concern to begin with.
TheraTears Products to Watch For
TheraTears sells several different products, and not all of them are designed for use with contacts. The standard Lubricant Eye Drops (the blue box) are the ones approved for contact lens use. If you’re picking up a TheraTears product labeled for allergy relief or one with additional active ingredients, check the label carefully. Allergy drops in particular often contain ingredients that should not sit on a contact lens surface, and the general rule with those is to remove your lenses, apply the drops, and wait 15 minutes before reinserting.
TheraTears also makes preservative-free single-use vials, which are an even safer option if you use drops frequently or have sensitive eyes. With no preservative at all, there’s zero risk of any buildup regardless of lens type.
How Often You Can Use Them
For occasional dryness, using TheraTears a few times a day with your contacts in is perfectly reasonable. If you find yourself reaching for the drops more than four or five times daily, that’s a signal your dryness may need a different approach, whether that’s switching to a higher-moisture lens, adjusting your environment, or exploring longer-lasting dry eye treatments. Frequent drop use can also wash away the natural oils in your tear film, which can paradoxically make dryness worse over time.