Yes, you can use eye drops instead of contact solution for slime.
When making slime, a polymer (like PVA glue) interacts with a gelling agent known as an activator. According to common slime recipes, the activator is usually powdered borax dissolved in water, liquid starch, eye drops, or contact lens solution. This means both eye drops and contact lens solution are recognized as effective activators for creating slime.
Understanding Slime Activators
Slime is a non-Newtonian fluid, meaning its viscosity changes under stress. It's typically created through a chemical reaction where a polymer (like the polyvinyl acetate in glue) is cross-linked by an activator.
Common Slime Activators
As noted in recipes, several substances can act as the gelling agent to turn glue into slime:
- Powdered borax dissolved in water
- Liquid starch
- Eye drops
- Contact lens solution
Eye Drops vs. Contact Solution for Slime
Both eye drops and contact lens solutions often contain borate compounds (such as boric acid or sodium borate) which are the key ingredients that react with the PVA glue to form the slime structure. Because they contain these similar active ingredients, they can often be used interchangeably in slime recipes that call for one or the other as the primary activator.
Using either eye drops or contact solution provides a convenient way to make borax-based slime without needing to dissolve borax powder separately.
