Optixcare for Dogs: What It Does & When to See a Vet | New Zealand Guide

That last sentence is the part most product pages skip, and it explains why so many owners end up disappointed. A lubricant buys comfort; it does not fix the reason the eye is uncomfortable. If what you actually need is daily cleaning rather than lubrication, that is the job our dog eye drops are built for: a sterile, non-medicated rinse buffered to pH 7.0–7.2 and filtered to 10 microns. Below: the actual label of each product, what the veterinary evidence supports about eye lubricants in dogs, and the signs that mean an exam today 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, each doing a different job:

• Eye Lube and Eye Lube Plus — sterile lubricating gels, labelled for eye lubrication during anaesthesia and as adjunctive support for dry eyes.
• Eye Cleaner (and the matching wipes) — a rinse for removing ocular 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 ophthalmic gel positioned as a topical nutritional antioxidant, indicated as an aid in protecting against ocular oxidative stress.

In plain terms: 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 easy to make when the tubes look almost identical on a shelf.

What is actually in each Optixcare product?

Ingredient lists matter more than star ratings. These come from the Aventix / CLC Medica labels, not a retailer description.

Two things stand out. There is no antibiotic, steroid or tear-stimulating drug anywhere in the range — expected for an over-the-counter line, and the reason none of it belongs on an infected eye. And the gels are preserved with cetrimide, with the label instructing you to discard 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 real risk.

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

The eye's surface is coated by a three-layer tear film: an outer lipid layer, a middle aqueous layer, and an inner mucin layer that anchors it to the cornea. Cornell's Riney Canine Health Centre describes keratoconjunctivitis sicca — dry eye — as a failure of the aqueous layer specifically, most often because the immune system inflames the tear-producing lacrimal glands.[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 returns as soon as the gel clears. Cornell lists the treatments that address the cause — medicated drops such as cyclosporine or tacrolimus, artificial tears used alongside them, topical antibiotics if a secondary infection is present, and pilocarpine in neurogenic cases.[3]

The Merck Veterinary Manual is more specific: immune-mediated KCS is treated predominantly with topical cyclosporin A and tacrolimus, calcineurin inhibitors that block T-cell infiltration, reduce damage to the lacrimal acini, and increase natural tear production from viable glandular tissue. Cyclosporine A comes as a 0.2% ointment, with compounded 1% or 2% needed in some cases; topical tacrolimus at 0.02–0.03% is regarded as roughly 100 times more potent.[4] None of that is over the counter, and none of it is inside an Optixcare tube.

Is Optixcare safe for dogs?

The labels carry standard veterinary-topical warnings rather than serious cautions: for veterinary use only; discontinue and consult your veterinarian 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.

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. Applying a lubricant to an infected eye softens the discharge and makes the eye look temporarily tidier — which is the problem: it masks progress you need to see.

Cornell notes that untreated KCS can cause corneal scarring, blood-vessel formation and secondary infection, potentially ending in permanent vision loss, and that thick yellow-green discharge is one of its hallmark signs.[3] That same discharge is also classic for bacterial conjunctivitis. You cannot separate the two by looking, and the treatments differ — our breakdown of dog eye infection warning signs covers what a workup involves.

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

Follow the label and your veterinarian, 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 veterinarian or veterinary ophthalmologist recommends; under anaesthesia, 1–2 drops onto the corneal surface or conjunctival sac of both eyes. Eye Health follows the same 2-to-4-times-daily schedule.

Set 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 opened. For genuine dry eye this is ongoing maintenance, not a two-week course — Cornell describes KCS as a chronic condition generally requiring 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 and wipe the excess, and for tear staining apply twice daily for two weeks before dropping to maintenance — 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.

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

Some eye problems are measured in hours. Put the tube down and call your veterinarian or an emergency clinic for any of these:

• Squinting or holding the eye shut — the most reliable sign of pain in dogs.
• A cloudy, blue-tinged or bulging eye — possible corneal ulcer, glaucoma or uveitis.
• Thick yellow or green discharge, especially if it returns within hours of cleaning.
• Unequal pupils, or a pupil that does not respond to light.
• Any sudden change in vision — bumping into furniture, hesitancy on stairs.
• Visible trauma, blood or a foreign object 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. An exam separates the possibilities with tests you cannot run at home — Cornell notes KCS is diagnosed with a Schirmer tear test, measuring aqueous tear production over one minute, with a fluorescein stain added because corneal ulcers can develop secondary to dry eye.[3] 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 choice in it. Nothing we sell replaces that, or a prescription tear stimulant.

Where we do compete is cleaning. Our non-medicated drops are a pH-neutral eye rinse: sterile, filtered to 10 microns, buffered to pH 7.0–7.2, and formulated with 0.05% sodium hyaluronate, 8% aloe vera, 2% chamomile, pro-vitamin B5 and 0.15% sodium phytate, without bleach, alcohol, added fragrance or antibiotics. Those are label facts, not adjectives: the pH match is why it doesn't sting, the absence of tylosin is why it isn't an antibiotic used on a cosmetic problem, and the sodium phytate chelates the oxidised porphyrins behind rusty tear stains rather than bleaching them. Daily hygiene — not a treatment for infection.

For inside-out support, our dog eye infection treatment support drops (Advanced Vision) 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 — more precise than a fixed-size chew, and without the starch binders a chew needs to hold its shape. It is a nutritional supplement that may support overall eye health as part of a routine; it does not diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease, and will not resolve an active infection. The dog eye drops range sits alongside it.

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 lubrication during anaesthesia and as adjunctive support for dry eyes. The Eye Cleaner removes secretions, crusty debris and irritants and reduces tear staining. Eye Health is an antioxidant ophthalmic gel for ocular oxidative stress.

Is Optixcare safe for dogs?

The labels carry routine veterinary-topical warnings: veterinary use only, discontinue 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 an exam.

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 dosing otherwise identical. A small prospective study in 25 dogs with dry eye reported lower conjunctival redness and discomfort scores after switching from a carbomer gel to a hyaluronic-acid drop, though it had no control group.

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 temporarily better while the underlying problem continues. Thick yellow or green discharge, pain or cloudiness needs veterinary 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 instructs 1 to 2 drops in both eyes, 2 to 4 times a day for dry eyes, or as often as your veterinarian recommends. Eye Health follows the same schedule. Always follow the current label and your own vet's direction.

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 lacrimal glands behind immune-mediated keratoconjunctivitis sicca. Cornell's Riney Canine Health Centre describes KCS treatment as relying on medicated drops such as cyclosporine or tacrolimus to increase natural tear production, with artificial tears alongside — generally a lifelong condition to manage.

The bottom line

Optixcare is a well-labelled, honestly-indicated over-the-counter range, and telling its four products apart is the most useful thing you can do before buying: 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 will 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 escalate the moment there is pain, cloudiness or colour.

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 Centre. Keratoconjunctivitis sicca (KCS) in dogs. Reviewed by Cohen A, DVM, and Ledbetter E, DVM, DACVO. Page last updated 2 December 2025.
4. Whelan N, BVSc, DACVCP, DACVO. 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 Corp. / CLC Medica. Product labels for Optixcare Eye Lube, Optixcare Eye Lube Plus, Optixcare Eye Cleaner and Optixcare Eye Health, as published in the Drugs.com veterinary label database (Animalytix), updated 28 May 2026.

Veterinary disclaimer. General information 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 or CLC Medica, and label details should always be checked against current packaging. Dry eye, conjunctivitis, corneal ulcers, uveitis and glaucoma can look alike and some are sight-threatening. Pure Majesty Pets eye products are hygiene and nutritional-wellness items, not medications, and are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease. Always consult your veterinarian about your dog's eyes.