Yeah I agree, please do not do this. Warm water works fine.
Oh PetSmart/PetCo/Pet Supplies Plus all sell these q-tips with eye cleaner in them that gets rid of the tears. You don't wipe the actual eye obviously, just gets rid of tears.
Boric acid powder, mixed in witch hazel and a few drops of gentian violet is an AMAZING recipe for ear infections, stains purple though LOL
I also use boric acid powder mixed with a bit of rubbing alcohol to clean dirty white dog beards, but I have never used it on a cat, nor near anything's eyes.....
A lot of folks are using Tylan powder for eye stain. It is an antibiotic labelled for use on poultry and maybe sheep (?- some livestock or another) but has been used off label for gastric problems in pet animals for years. Somebody figured out that it cleared up eyestains and the bandwagon jumping began.
I do not agree with using antibiotics this cavalierly- overuse of antibiotics is a tremendous problem with catastrophic consequences. I picked up some Eye Envy and was amazed at how well and how fast it worked, and it isn't systemic, just topical.
1000% better.