ocular decongestant

decongestant, ocular

A pharmaceutical agent used to reduce hyperaemia in the eye, usually by vasoconstriction. Decongestants are weak concentrations of sympathomimetic or alpha-adrenergic agonists. Examples: adrenaline (epinephrine); naphazoline hydrochloride; phenylephrine hydrochloride, tetrahydrozoline hydrochloride. A decongestant can also be used to differentiate between conjunctival and ciliary injection; if the instillation of a decongestant alleviates eye redness the injection is primarily conjunctival, otherwise the redness is of ciliary origin.