Optixcare Eye Lube for Dogs: UK Review, £ Prices & When to See a Vet

That last point is the one most product listings leave out, and it is why so many owners end up disappointed. A lubricant buys comfort; it does not fix the reason the eye is sore. If what your dog actually needs is a gentle daily clean rather than lubrication, that is the job our dog eye drops are made for: a sterile, non-medicated rinse buffered to pH 7.0–7.2 and filtered to 10 microns. Below you will find the real label of each Optixcare product, what it costs in the UK, how it compares with Lubrithal, the other carbomer gel sold by UK vet retailers, what the evidence says about eye lubricants in dogs, and the signs that mean a same-day vet appointment rather than another drop from a tube.

What is Optixcare used for in dogs?

Optixcare is not one product but a small family of over-the-counter topicals for dogs, cats and horses, and each one does a different job:

• Eye Lube and Eye Lube Plus — sterile lubricating gels, labelled to keep the cornea moist during anaesthesia and as supporting care for dry eyes.
• Eye Cleaner (and the matching wipes) — a rinse for removing eye secretions, sticky mucus, crusty debris and irritants such as pollen and dust, and for reducing tear staining and facial-fold odour.
• Eye Health — a sterile eye gel positioned as a topical antioxidant, indicated as an aid in protecting against oxidative stress on the eye surface.

Put simply: a lubricant adds volume to the tear film, a cleaner removes what has collected around the eye, and the antioxidant gel is a long-term maintenance idea. Buying the wrong one is the most common mistake, and an easy one to make when the tubes look almost identical in a basket on an online pharmacy.

What is actually in each Optixcare product — and what it costs in the UK

Ingredient lists matter more than star ratings. These come from the CLC Medica / Aventix labels (the same lists appear on UK retailer pages); the prices are what we saw on UK vet-retailer websites when we checked in October 2026.

Two things stand out. There is no antibiotic, steroid or tear-stimulating drug anywhere in the range — which is what you would expect from something sold without a prescription, and the reason none of it belongs on an infected eye. And the gels are preserved with cetrimide, with the label telling you to throw away an opened tube after 60 days and never touch the tip to the eye or any surface. Worth following: a contaminated tip on a scratched cornea is a genuine risk.

Do you need a prescription? No. UK vet retailers sell the range over the counter (Vets4u lists Eye Lube Plus as general sale), and nothing on any of the four ingredient lists is a prescription-only medicine under the Veterinary Medicines Directorate (VMD) categories. That is convenient, but it also means nobody checks whether the eye in front of you actually needs a lubricant before you buy one.

Optixcare Eye Lube vs Eye Lube Plus — what's the difference?

One ingredient: hyaluron (hyaluronic acid). Eye Lube is a carbomer-only gel; Eye Lube Plus is described by the manufacturer as a dual-polymer system combining carbomer gel and hyaluronic acid. Tube size, sterile format and directions are identical. In the UK the Plus version cost us about £3 more per 20 g tube.

Is that extra £3 worth it? Research suggests it can be, though the evidence is thin and worth reading honestly. In a prospective study of 25 dogs with keratoconjunctivitis sicca (dry eye), Williams and colleagues moved the dogs from a carbomer-based tear-replacement gel to a hyaluronic-acid drop and recorded mean conjunctival hyperaemia (redness) falling from 2.12 ± 0.73 to 1.26 ± 0.59, and eye discomfort from 2.11 ± 0.97 to 0.93 ± 0.75 on a 0–3 scale.[1] A measurable improvement in redness and comfort — but from a small, unmasked before-and-after design with no control group, so read it as encouraging rather than settled.

There is a plausible physical reason. A later paper in Eye noted that native hyaluronic acid behaves as a Newtonian fluid, while a crosslinked carboxymethyl form shows the same shear-thinning as the natural tear film — thick and stable between blinks, thin and easy to spread during one.[2] Matching the physics of real tears is a sensible design goal for any eye lubricant for dogs, not a promise about your particular dog.

Optixcare vs Lubrithal: two UK eye gels compared

The other carbomer eye gel you are likely to see on UK vet-retailer shelves is Lubrithal (Dechra), also sold without a prescription. Compare the labels and the two are close cousins:

Gram for gram, Optixcare Eye Lube came out at well under half the price of Lubrithal in our check, for what is essentially the same type of formula. If your vet has recommended “a carbomer eye gel” rather than a named brand, it is reasonable to ask whether either would do. If they have prescribed something specific, use what they prescribed.

How a dog eye lubricant actually works — and what it can't fix

The surface of the eye is coated by a three-layer tear film: an outer lipid layer, a middle aqueous (watery) layer, and an inner mucin layer that anchors it to the cornea. Dry eye — keratoconjunctivitis sicca, or KCS — is a failure of the watery layer. The PDSA explains that in dogs it is nearly always immune-mediated: the immune system mistakenly destroys the tear glands.[6] Cornell University's veterinary college describes the same mechanism.[3]

The mechanical consequence: a lubricant tops up the volume sitting on the cornea, but does nothing to the inflamed gland that stopped producing tears, so the dryness comes straight back once the gel clears. The treatments that address the cause are medicated drops or ointments such as ciclosporin or tacrolimus, artificial tears used alongside them, topical antibiotics if a secondary infection is present, and pilocarpine in the less common nerve-related cases.[3]

The Merck Veterinary Manual is more specific: immune-mediated KCS is treated mainly with topical ciclosporin A and tacrolimus, calcineurin inhibitors that block T-cell infiltration, reduce damage to the tear-producing tissue and increase natural tear production from the gland tissue that is still working. Ciclosporin comes as a 0.2% ointment, with specially prepared 1% or 2% strengths needed in some cases; topical tacrolimus at 0.02–0.03% is regarded as roughly 100 times more potent.[4] None of that is sold over the counter, and none of it is inside an Optixcare tube.

For more on how vets confirm and manage the condition, see our guide to dry eye in dogs.

What UK vets prescribe for dry eye — and what it costs

The PDSA names ciclosporin as the drug most commonly used for dry eye, and the licensed UK example you will meet is Optimmune, a ciclosporin 2 mg/g (0.2%) eye ointment for dogs. It has held a UK veterinary authorisation since 1994 and is listed on the VMD's Product Information Database as POM-V — prescription-only, from a vet.[7] The PDSA notes that ciclosporin is applied twice daily, that it takes 2–12 weeks to work, and that it usually has to be given for life — which is why dry eye “can become very expensive to treat” and why insuring a puppy before any eye signs appear makes sense.[6]

Practical money points for UK owners:

• You can ask for a written prescription. We saw Optimmune at £39.46 per 3.5 g tube at an online vet pharmacy (VetUK, October 2026), on a written prescription. Compare that with your practice's price for a long-term medicine.
• Prescription fees are being capped. After the Competition and Markets Authority's investigation into vet services, the fee for a written prescription is capped at £21 for the first medicine and £12.50 for each additional one — applied by large vet groups by March 2027 and by smaller practices by September 2027.
• Unlicensed options go through the cascade. If your vet recommends a medicine without a UK veterinary authorisation — for example a specially made-up (compounded) eye preparation — it is prescribed under the prescribing cascade, and your vet should explain why.
• Lubricant on top, not instead. A carbomer gel such as Optixcare Eye Lube or Lubrithal is often used alongside the ciclosporin, for comfort between doses. It does not replace it.

Lubricant vs cleaner vs prescription treatment: which one does what

Rather than pitting brands against each other, line the four categories up by what they are for. Match the tool to the problem and most of the confusion disappears.

Unsure which column your dog sits in? Our comparison of dog eye allergies vs infection walks through the signals a vet weighs first, and the colour chart in our guide to dog eye boogers decodes what the discharge itself suggests.

Is Optixcare safe for dogs?

The labels carry standard veterinary-topical warnings rather than serious cautions: for animal use only; stop and speak to your vet if the animal shows discomfort or irritation; sterile until the cap is removed; avoid touching the eye or any other surface with the tip; recap after use; discard an opened tube after 60 days; store at room temperature.

Two practical precautions. Don't share a tube between animals — a tip that has touched one eye can carry organisms to another. And don't read “no reaction” as proof you chose correctly: a lubricant on an undiagnosed corneal ulcer is soothing and useless at the same time, which is how days get lost. Never improvise from the bathroom cabinet, either — human redness-relief drops from the chemist contain vasoconstrictors, and a leftover steroid drop is dangerous on an eye that has not been checked with fluorescein stain.

Can I use Optixcare on a dog's eye infection?

No. There is no antibiotic in any of these products, so nothing in the range acts on bacteria. Putting a lubricant on an infected eye softens the discharge and makes the eye look tidier for a while — which is the problem: it hides the progress (or lack of it) you need to see.

Untreated dry eye can lead to conjunctivitis, ulcers, scarring and loss of vision, and a thick, sticky discharge is one of its hallmark signs.[6] That same discharge is also classic for bacterial conjunctivitis. You cannot tell the two apart by looking, and the treatments differ — our breakdown of dog eye infection warning signs covers what a vet's workup involves.

How often can I apply eye lubricant to my dog's eyes?

Follow the label and your vet, in that order. For Eye Lube and Eye Lube Plus, the dry-eye instruction is 1–2 drops in both eyes, 2 to 4 times a day, or as often as your vet or veterinary ophthalmologist recommends; under anaesthesia, 1–2 drops onto the corneal surface or into the conjunctival sac of both eyes. Eye Health follows the same 2-to-4-times-daily schedule.

Set your supply expectations accordingly: a 20 g tube used four times a day in both eyes goes quickly, and the 60-day discard rule applies once it is opened. For genuine dry eye this is ongoing maintenance, not a two-week course — KCS is a chronic condition that generally needs lifelong treatment, with most dogs improving within a few weeks and some taking up to twelve.[3] The Eye Cleaner has its own rhythm: flush it onto the area or apply with a lint-free pad, massage gently and wipe away the excess, and for tear staining apply twice daily for two weeks before dropping to maintenance. That is the same technique as our guide to how to clean dog eyes safely, on the timeline our guide to dog tear stain remover options sets out, where stained fur has to grow out.

Which UK dogs most need their eyes checked, not just lubricated?

The breeds British owners love most are, unfortunately, some of the most eye-prone:

• Flat-faced breeds. A Royal Veterinary College VetCompass study of 104,233 dogs at 110 first-opinion practices in England found corneal ulcers in 0.80% of dogs overall, but in 5.42% of Pugs, 4.98% of Boxers and 3.45% of Shih Tzus. Brachycephalic breeds as a group had about 11 times the odds of a crossbreed, and spaniel types about 3 times.[8] If your Pug, French Bulldog or Shih Tzu is squinting, assume ulcer until a vet has ruled it out.
• Dry-eye breeds. The PDSA lists Cavalier King Charles Spaniels, Pugs, West Highland White Terriers, Yorkshire Terriers and Shih Tzus as predisposed to dry eye, and notes that most cases are inherited.[6] A dull, sticky-looking eye in a Westie or Cavalier deserves a Schirmer tear test, not a lucky dip on lubricants.
• Country-walk dogs. Spaniels and Labradors charging through hedgerows and long grass pick up pollen, grit and grass seeds; the PDSA notes that grass seeds can lodge behind the eyelids and cause a painful, weepy eye.[9] A rinse after the walk helps with debris — but a seed under the lid needs a vet to remove it.

Pain was recorded in almost half of the ulcer cases in that VetCompass study, and about one in six were managed surgically.[8] Our guide to corneal ulcers in dogs explains why these can deepen so quickly.

When does a red eye need a vet, not a lubricant?

Some eye problems are measured in hours. Put the tube down and ring your vet — or the out-of-hours vet your practice uses at night and weekends — for any of these:

• Squinting or holding the eye shut — the most reliable sign of eye pain in dogs.
• A cloudy, blue-tinged or bulging eye — possible corneal ulcer, glaucoma or uveitis.
• Thick yellow or green discharge, especially if it comes back within hours of cleaning.
• Unequal pupils, or a pupil that does not respond to light.
• Any sudden change in vision — bumping into furniture, hesitating on the stairs.
• Visible injury, blood or a foreign body (such as a grass seed) under the lid.

The urgency is structural: the cornea is only a few cell layers thick and has no blood supply, so it heals slowly and a shallow scratch can deepen fast. A vet separates the possibilities with tests you cannot run at home — a Schirmer tear test measures watery tear production over one minute (the PDSA says under 15 mm a minute suggests dry eye), and a fluorescein stain shows up corneal ulcers, which can develop secondary to dry eye.[6][3] If you are not registered anywhere, the RCVS Find a Vet service lists practices near you. Our complete guide to dog eye health maps out the wider series.

Where Pure Majesty Pets fits — and where it doesn't

Being straight about this matters more than making a sale. Pure Majesty Pets does not make an eye lubricant. If your dog has diagnosed dry eye and needs the tear film topped up, a carbomer or carbomer-plus-hyaluronic-acid gel is the right category, and Optixcare is a legitimate — and in the UK, good-value — choice in it. Nothing we sell replaces that, or a prescription tear stimulant.

Where we do compete is cleaning, and here we think we have the better product for UK dogs. Our non-medicated dog eye drops are a pH-neutral eye rinse: sterile, filtered to 10 microns, buffered to pH 7.0–7.2 to match canine tears, and formulated with 0.05% sodium hyaluronate, 8% aloe vera, 2% chamomile, pro-vitamin B5 and 0.15% sodium phytate, without bleach, alcohol, fragrance or antibiotics. Those are label facts, not adjectives: the pH match is why it doesn't sting, the hyaluronic acid holds moisture on a dry, gritty surface, and the sodium phytate chelates the oxidised minerals behind rusty tear stains rather than bleaching them. It is 120 mL for £16 — a daily hygiene product for after muddy walks, pollen days and grooming, not a treatment for infection.

For support from the inside, our Advanced Vision eye support drops (£25) are a plant-based liquid built around antioxidant berry and botanical extracts with turmeric and ginger, supplied as two 30 mL bottles and dosed to weight by dropper onto food — easier for a fussy or senior dog than a fixed-size chew, and without the starch binders a chew needs to hold its shape. It is a complementary supplement that may help support overall eye health as part of a daily routine; it does not diagnose, treat or prevent any disease, and it will not clear an active infection.

Both ship free to the UK, with duties and VAT prepaid — no customs charge and nothing to pay the courier or Royal Mail on the doorstep — and every batch comes with a certificate of analysis. They are made in North America under GMP.

Frequently asked questions

What is Optixcare used for in dogs?

It depends on the product. Eye Lube and Eye Lube Plus are sterile lubricating gels labelled for keeping the eye moist during anaesthesia and as supporting care for dry eyes. The Eye Cleaner removes secretions, crusty debris and irritants and reduces tear staining. Eye Health is an antioxidant eye gel for oxidative stress on the eye surface.

Do I need a prescription for Optixcare in the UK?

No. Optixcare is sold without a prescription by UK online vet retailers such as VetUK and Vets4u; nothing in it is a prescription-only medicine. Prescription dry-eye treatment such as Optimmune (ciclosporin) is POM-V and must be prescribed by your vet.

How much does Optixcare cost in the UK?

When we checked in October 2026, Optixcare Eye Lube 20 g was £14.21 at VetUK, Eye Lube Plus 20 g was £17.51 at Vets4u, and the Eye Cleaner was £8.72 at VetUK. Prices change, so compare a couple of retailers before you buy.

Is Optixcare safe for dogs?

The labels carry routine veterinary-topical warnings: animal use only, stop if the animal shows discomfort or irritation, keep the tip from touching the eye or any surface, recap after use, and discard an opened tube after 60 days. Do not share a tube between animals, or use any eye product on a painful or cloudy eye before a vet has examined it.

What is the difference between Optixcare Eye Lube and Eye Lube Plus?

Hyaluron. Eye Lube is a carbomer-only gel; Eye Lube Plus is described by the manufacturer as a dual-polymer system of carbomer gel plus hyaluronic acid, with size, sterile format and directions otherwise identical. A small prospective study in 25 dogs with dry eye reported lower redness and discomfort scores after switching from a carbomer gel to a hyaluronic-acid drop, though it had no control group.

Is Optixcare the same as Lubrithal?

Not the same brand, but a very similar formula. Both Optixcare Eye Lube and Dechra Lubrithal are carbomer gels with sorbitol, preserved with cetrimide and disodium EDTA. In our October 2026 check, Optixcare Eye Lube cost £14.21 for 20 g and Lubrithal £19.99 for 10 g.

Can Optixcare treat a dog eye infection?

No. There is no antibiotic in the range, so none of it acts on bacteria. A lubricant on an infected eye can soften discharge and make the eye look better for a while as the underlying problem continues. Thick yellow or green discharge, pain or cloudiness needs a vet's diagnosis and prescription treatment.

How often can you put eye lubricant in a dog's eye?

The Optixcare Eye Lube and Eye Lube Plus label says 1 to 2 drops in both eyes, 2 to 4 times a day for dry eyes, or as often as your vet recommends. Eye Health follows the same schedule. Always follow the current label and your own vet's directions.

Does an eye lubricant cure dry eye in dogs?

No. A lubricant adds volume to the tear film but does not act on the inflamed tear glands behind immune-mediated keratoconjunctivitis sicca. In the UK, vets usually prescribe ciclosporin eye ointment (such as Optimmune) to increase natural tear production, with lubricants alongside; the PDSA notes that treatment usually has to continue for life.

The bottom line

Optixcare is a well-labelled, honestly indicated over-the-counter range, and in the UK it is one of the cheaper ways to buy a carbomer eye gel. Telling its four products apart is the most useful thing you can do before ordering: lube to add moisture, cleaner to remove debris, antioxidant gel for maintenance. What it cannot do is diagnose. A red eye can be an allergy, an early infection, dry eye, or a corneal ulcer that could cost your dog its sight if the wrong tube is used for a week. Clean gently, lubricate when a vet has told you to, and book an appointment the moment there is pain, cloudiness or coloured discharge.

Sources and references

1. Williams DL, Middleton S, Fattahian H, Moridpour R. Comparison of hyaluronic acid-containing topical eye drops with carbomer-based topical ocular gel as a tear replacement in canine keratoconjunctivitis sicca: a prospective study in twenty five dogs. Veterinary Research Forum. 2012;3(4):229–232. PMID: 25653763; PMCID: PMC4313040.
2. Williams DL. Optimising tear replacement rheology in canine keratoconjunctivitis sicca. Eye (London). 2018 Feb;32(2):195–199. doi:10.1038/eye.2017.272. PMID: 29303147; PMCID: PMC5811739.
3. Cornell University College of Veterinary Medicine, Richard P. Riney Canine Health Center. Keratoconjunctivitis sicca (KCS) in dogs. Page last updated 2 December 2025.
4. Whelan N. Tear Stimulants and Immunosuppressants in Animals. Merck Veterinary Manual, Systemic Pharmacotherapeutics of the Eye. Reviewed/revised October 2021, modified November 2025.
5. Aventix Animal Health / CLC Medica. Product labels for Optixcare Eye Lube, Eye Lube Plus, Eye Cleaner and Eye Health; UK retailer listings at VetUK and Vets4u, checked October 2026.
6. PDSA Pet Health Hub. Dry eye in dogs.
7. Veterinary Medicines Directorate, Product Information Database. Optimmune 2 mg/g Eye Ointment for Dogs (Vm 06376/4134, POM-V).
8. Royal Veterinary College VetCompass. Corneal ulcerative disease in dogs under primary veterinary care in England: epidemiology and clinical management. Canine Genetics and Epidemiology. 2017;4:5. doi:10.1186/s40575-017-0045-5.
9. PDSA Pet Health Hub. Grass seeds in dogs.

Veterinary disclaimer. General information for UK dog owners only, not a substitute for professional veterinary advice, diagnosis or treatment. Product names are used descriptively; Pure Majesty Pets is not affiliated with Aventix Animal Health, CLC Medica or Dechra, and label details and prices should always be checked against current packaging and retailer pages. Dry eye, conjunctivitis, corneal ulcers, uveitis and glaucoma can look alike and some are sight-threatening. Pure Majesty Pets eye products are hygiene and complementary-supplement items, not veterinary medicines, and are not intended to diagnose, treat or prevent any disease. Talk to your vet about your dog's eyes, and before starting any supplement.