Pataday is not preservative free. Every version of Pataday currently sold contains benzalkonium chloride (BAK), a common preservative found in many eye drops. This applies to all three formulations: Pataday Twice Daily Relief (0.1%), Pataday Once Daily Relief (0.2%), and Pataday Once Daily Extra Strength (0.7%).
Which Preservative Pataday Contains
All Pataday products use benzalkonium chloride as their preservative, though the concentration varies slightly by formulation. The Twice Daily Relief and Once Daily Relief versions contain 0.01% benzalkonium chloride, while the Extra Strength version contains a slightly higher concentration at 0.015%. These concentrations are typical for preserved eye drops, but they’re worth knowing about if you use the drops regularly or have sensitive eyes.
Why the Preservative Matters
Benzalkonium chloride keeps the multi-dose bottle sterile after you open it, preventing bacterial contamination between uses. The tradeoff is that it can irritate the surface of your eye over time. Research estimates that 30% to 70% of patients using eye drops preserved with benzalkonium chloride eventually develop some degree of ocular surface irritation, including dryness, discomfort, and damage to the protective barrier of the cornea.
For occasional, short-term use during allergy season, this is generally not a concern. The risk grows with prolonged or frequent use, particularly if you’re already using other preserved eye drops (like glaucoma medications) or you have dry eye disease. Repeated low-dose exposures over time can cause chronic changes to the eye’s surface, including loss of the cells that produce your tear film’s protective mucus layer.
Contact Lens Considerations
If you wear soft contact lenses, the benzalkonium chloride in Pataday can absorb into the lens material. The FDA labeling specifically warns about this. You should remove your contacts before applying Pataday and wait before reinserting them. Most eye care professionals recommend waiting at least 10 to 15 minutes to allow the preservative to clear from the eye’s surface.
Preservative-Free Alternatives
If you need a preservative-free antihistamine eye drop, your options are more limited but they do exist. The FDA has cleared Alaway Preservative Free (ketotifen fumarate 0.035%), the first over-the-counter preservative-free antihistamine drop for allergic conjunctivitis. It’s approved for adults and children 3 and older, and a single dose provides up to 12 hours of itch relief. Ketotifen works through a similar mechanism to olopatadine (Pataday’s active ingredient), blocking histamine and stabilizing the cells that release it.
Preservative-free drops typically come in single-use vials rather than multi-dose bottles. Each vial is sterile and meant to be used once, which eliminates the need for a preservative altogether. They cost more per dose, but for people with sensitive eyes, dry eye disease, or those who use multiple eye drops daily, the difference in comfort can be significant.
There is currently no preservative-free version of olopatadine available over the counter or under the Pataday brand name. If olopatadine specifically works well for your allergies but you need a preservative-free option, that’s a conversation worth having with an eye care provider, as compounding pharmacies can sometimes prepare preservative-free formulations.