Whether you have been prescribed eye drops or are using over-the-counter eye drops, knowing how to use them properly is essential to getting the most out of them. Every time you miss your eye and have to use more drops, it costs money and, in the case of prescription eye drops, it can get expensive.
In most cases, the technique for applying eye drops is the same. The following steps will help you learn how to use prescription eye drops effectively and save money.
A Step-by-Step Method for Using Eye Drops
- Wash your hands thoroughly and dry them on a clean towel
- Remove contact lenses unless you have been advised by your eye doctor to leave them in.
- Remove the dropper cap and examine the tip carefully to make sure it’s not damaged in any way. Don’t touch the tip.
- Lie down or tilt your head back and concentrate on a point in the ceiling, keeping your eyes wide open.
- Put one or two fingers just below your eye and gently pull down the lower eyelid to create a pocket between it and your eyeball.
- Using your other hand, hold the eye drop bottle with the tip pointing down. Rest your hand on your forehead to help steady it.
- Hold the bottle about an inch away from your eye, being careful not to let the dropper touch your eye or eyelashes, as this can introduce bacteria and other organisms into the remaining eye drops.
- Lightly squeeze to instill one drop inside your lower eyelid.
- Remove your hands from your face, carefully close your eyes and tilt your head down for a few seconds. Try not to blink, as this can force some of the medicine out of your eye before it has a chance to be absorbed.
- A small duct that drains tears away from your eye and into your nose is located on the inner corner of your eyelid next to your nose. Pressing lightly at this point will close down the opening and allow the eye drop to remain on the surface of your eye longer. (This will also minimize the funny taste you may get in your mouth after using certain eye drops.)
- Have a clean tissue on hand to wipe away any drops that spill out of your eye and onto your face or eyelids.
- Repeat this procedure for the second eye if you are using drops in both eyes.
- Replace the cap on the bottle of eye drops securely. Never wipe the dropper tip, as this can contaminate the drops.
- Wash your hands to remove any excess eye drops.
Using More Than One Eye Drop
It may be that you’ve been prescribed more than one type of medicated eye drop. If you put eye drops in, one right after the other, they may drip out of the eye and reduce the therapeutic effect. Wait at least five minutes between drops to put a second drop in your eye.
If you use a prescription eye drop as well as a lubricating eye drop, many doctors prefer that you start with the medicated eye drop and use the over-the-counter product, such as artificial tears, later.
