Zaditen Drops for Eye Allergies Have Returned

Good News for Allergy Sufferers: Zaditen Eye Drops Are Back

After more than a year off Australian pharmacy shelves, Zaditen (ketotifen) eye drops are finally back in stock around the country. (While it was unavailable, we covered the ketotifen alternatives — still handy if your pharmacy is out of stock.)

For those who have been struggling through allergy seasons without them, this is a welcome return. Zaditen has long been one of the most effective over-the-counter treatments for ocular allergies, thanks to its dual action: it is both an antihistamine and a mast cell stabiliser. That means it not only relieves the itch quickly, it also helps prevent the allergic reaction from occurring in the first place. During the shortage, many patients had to make do with alternatives that didn’t work quite as well for them, so it’s great to see it available again — both in the preservative-free single-use ampoules and the bottle.

A Timely Reminder: Don’t Rub Your Eyes

The return of Zaditen is a good opportunity to repeat one of the most important messages in eye care: avoid rubbing your eyes.

Itchy eyes make rubbing almost irresistible, but rubbing is one of the biggest risk factors for developing keratoconus — a condition where the cornea progressively thins and warps into a cone shape, distorting vision. In many patients with keratoconus, chronic eye rubbing (often driven by untreated allergy) appears to play a major role, and continued rubbing can make the condition worse.

This is exactly why treating ocular allergy properly matters. When drops like Zaditen control the itch, the urge to rub disappears — and with it, a significant risk to the long-term health of your cornea.

So if allergies have you reaching for your eyes: reach for the drops instead. And if you or your children are persistent eye rubbers, especially with blurry or changing vision, it’s worth having your corneas checked.