How To Use Eye Drops Correctly

Many people struggle to put eye drops in their eyes correctly and may
not be getting an effective dose of eye drop medication. In addition, eye
drops can be expensive and wasting drops by not putting them in correctly
can cost you money.

Eye drops are used to help relieve dry eyes, treat glaucoma, prevent
infection after eye surgery (including lasik, cataract, retina, glaucoma,
and cornea surgery), and to treat eye infections or eye allergies.

Here are some tips to get the most out of your eye drops by putting  them
in your eyes correctly.

1. Wash your hands with soap and warm water and dry them.

2. Shake the eye drops container.

3. Remove the cap. Do not touch the dropper tip. Eye drops must be kept
clean.

4. Tilt the head back slightly.

5. Pull the lower eyelid down and away from the eyeball to form a  pocket,
as shown in the picture.

6. Hold the dropper directly over the eye, but do not allow it to touch
the eye or eyelid. If self-administering the drops, you may want to brace
your hand against your face to keep it steady.

7. Look up, or tell the patient to look up. Place one drop in the pocket
and continue to hold the eyelid for a moment while the medication runs
in. If you are self-administering the drops, look directly at the dropper
tip when positioning it in front of your eye. To keep from blinking, look
away from the dropper tip just before you release a drop.

8. Release the eyelid, close the eye for one or two minutes, and, unless
you or the patient recently had eye surgery, press a finger against the
inner corner of the eye. Do not squeeze the eye shut or rub it. The drops
may sting or burn, but this feeling should go away quickly.

9. Wait at least five minutes before applying any more drops or another
eye medication.

10. Replace the cap on the container.

11. Wash your hands.