Sorry, Alcon, but no matter what any of you keep renaming this product, I will always call it GenTeal Gel. Period. (And I might or might not always remember to capitalize the T.)

The distinguishing feature of GenTeal Gel, which has made it a longtime favorite for night use by people with moderate to severe dry eye, is that it is viscous without being greasy. It is simply a polymer gel, as opposed to a "lubricating eye ointment", i.e. anything with PM in its name and made of petrolatum and mineral oil. Polymer gels dissolve without leaving greasy residue. 

Finally, a note about preservatives. It is worth noting that GenTeal Gel is one of a very short list of lubricants with preservatives that are popular amongst the severe dry eye crowd despite being preserved. GenTeal's preservative is sodium perborate, an oxidative type preservative which rapidly decomposes into hydrogen peroxide and thence to salt and water. Toxicity of this type of preservative is substantially lower than traditional chemical preservatives (). But it's still a preservative, and all preservatives have some toxicity. Once again, dry eye patients are faced with tradeoffs trying to find the right risk/benefit profile!

One more note: In the context of ointment shortages, Genteal Gel is more popular than ever - but also scarcer than ever. We look forward to when this product will be fully stocked everywhere again.

Description (from the manufacturer's literature)

Drug Facts

Active ingredient

Hypromellose 0.3%

Purpose

Lubricant

Uses

Warnings

For external use only

Do not use

When using this product

Stop and ask a doctor if you experience any of the following:

Keep out of the reach of children

Directions

put 1 or 2 drops in the affected eye(s) as needed

Other information

store between 15°-25°C (59°-77°F)

Inactive Ingredients

980, phosphoric acid, purified water, sodium hydroxide, sodium perborate, and sorbitol

Questions?