Author:
Peter Berry
Date Of Creation:
12 February 2021
Update Date:
1 July 2024
Content
The process of getting a foreign substance into the eye is not easy, including the eye drops. Eye drops are available over the counter to treat redness, allergies, irritation, and mild dry eyes. Medicines used to treat severe dry eyes, inflammation or glaucoma are all prescribed by doctors. Regardless of the reason for using the eye drops, you need to know how to safely and effectively administer the eye drops for yourself and others.
Steps
Part 1 of 3: Use eye drops for yourself
Hand washing. Wash your hands thoroughly with soap and water.
- Wash between fingers and wrists as well as forearms.
- Use a clean towel to dry your hands.
Read the instructions. Be sure to understand the directions on the bottle, or as directed by your doctor.- Determine the side of the eye that needs to be instilled, and the number of drops to apply each time. (Usually just one drop because the eye can hold up to one drop.)
- Check the clock to determine when the next instillation is needed, or keep in mind when it is time to know when the next instillation is needed.
Check the eye drops. Observe the liquid inside the bottle.- Make sure that there are no foreign objects in the eye drop solution (unless the medicine contains small particles in the composition).
- The product must have the word "eye medicine" on the label. You may be confused with ear drops that have the word "ear medicine" on the label.
- Check that the medicine bottle is not damaged. Inspect the tip of the bottle without touching it to make sure there is no damage or discoloration.
Check the expiration date of the medicine bottle. Do not use expired eye drops.- The eye drops contain preservatives to prevent harmful bacteria from being produced. However, if the drug is expired, infection can occur.
- Some eye drops should only be used within 30 days of opening the bottle. Ask your doctor or pharmacist how long the medicine should be used after opening.
Clean the eye area. Use a clean towel to gently wipe dirt or sweat away from the eye area.
- If possible, use a sterile material, such as a sealed 2 x 2 gauze pad to clean the eye area.
- Use only one gauze at a time and throw it away.
- Use absorbent towels or gauze to remove residue from around the eyes.
- If your eyes become inflamed, wash your hands after cleaning around the eyes before administering the instillation.
Gently shake the medicine bottle. Don't shake too hard.
- Shake the bottle gently, or use both hands to roll it to dissolve the solution evenly. Some eye drops contain small particles, so shake well to dissolve them evenly in solution.
- Open the bottle cap and place it in a clean place, such as on a clean, dry cloth.
Do not touch the top of the bottle. When preparing the instillation, be careful not to touch your eyes, eyelashes, and the tip of the bottle.
- Touching the tip of the eye drop bottle can spread germs into the solution causing the contamination.
- When you use contaminated eye drops, you run the risk of re-infection of the eye.
- If you accidentally touch the tip of the medicine bottle, use an alcohol absorbent pad (70% isopropyl alcohol) to sterilize or buy a new bottle or notify your doctor to prescribe a new medicine.
Place your thumb on the brow. While holding the pill bottle in hand, place your thumb right above your eyebrows. This step helps to stabilize the hand during the instillation.
- Place the bottle above the eyelid about 1 cm below to avoid touching the eye area.
Tilt your head back. While tilting your head back, gently pull your lower eyelid with your index finger.
- Pull the eyelids down to create space, or sunken areas containing the drops.
- Look at a point above. Focus on a spot on the ceiling or overhead and keep your eyes open so you don't blink.
Squeeze the body of the bottle. Gently squeeze the bottle until the drop drops into the eye while you pull the lower eyelid down.
- Close your eyes, but don't squeeze. You should close your eyes for at least two to three minutes.
- Lower your head on the floor while keeping your eyes closed for two to three minutes.
- Gently press on the tear duct inside the eye for 30 to 60 seconds. This will help keep the medication inside the eye and prevent the medication from getting into your throat, causing an irritation.
- Use a clean paper towel to gently blot any medication that is draining from your eyes or cheeks.
Wait five minutes before using the eye drops again. If your prescription requires more than one drop, wait five minutes before giving the second dose to give it time to absorb. If the second drops right after the first time, the small solution in the first time will pass away and not absorb time.
- If you put the drops in both eyes, you can drop the other eye for about two to three minutes, after keeping your eyes closed for the allotted time.
Close the bottle. Screw the cap back into the bottle, do not touch the cap or the top of the bottle.
- Do not wipe the head or come into contact with other objects. You must keep the solution free of contamination.
- Wash hands thoroughly to remove residual medication or germs.
Wait 10 to 15 minutes before adding another drop. If your doctor prescribes multiple medications, you need to wait at least 10 to 15 minutes before taking a new medication.
- In some cases, the doctor prescribes an ointment with eye drops. You should use the drops first, wait 10 to 15 minutes, then apply the ointment.
Store eye drops properly. Most eye drops are stored at room temperature and others need to be kept cool.
- Many eye drops need to be refrigerated before use. You need to store the medicine properly. Talk to your doctor or pharmacist if you are unsure how to store the medicine.
- Do not expose the eye drops to direct sunlight.
See expiration date. Although the expiration date is still far off, some medicines need to be thrown away for four weeks after opening.
- Record the first day you opened the eye drop bottle.
- Also ask your pharmacist or product documentation to determine if you need to quit or replace it after four weeks of opening the bottle.
Part 2 of 3: Knowing when to get medical help
See your doctor if you experience unusual symptoms. If you experience pain or heavy tears, talk to your doctor.
- Other symptoms that you need to see your doctor include include changes in your vision, redness or swelling in your eyes, and unusual pus or discharge from the eye.
Keep track of symptoms. If you don't see any improvement or if your symptoms get worse, see your doctor.
- If you are treating an infection, watch for symptoms in the other eye. See your doctor if you begin to notice the infection spreading to your other eye.
Watch for an allergic reaction. If skin rash or injury, difficulty breathing, swelling of the eyes, face, chest or throat feels pressed, you may have an allergic reaction.
- An allergic reaction is an urgent medical condition. You need to call 115 or get medical help as quickly as possible. Do not go to the hospital yourself.
Wash eyes. If you think you have an allergic reaction, rinse your eyes with an eye cleaner if you have one.
- If you don't have an eye cleanser, you can use water to remove the medication from your eye to avoid getting into the eye.
- Tilt your head to the side and open your eyes to let the water wash the medicine out of your eyes.
Part 3 of 3: Use eye drops for children
Hand hygiene. You need to wash your hands as clean as you would if you were to administer your own drops.
- Use a clean towel to dry your hands.
Check the eye drops. Before preparing your baby, you need to make sure to use the correct product, which eyes need to take the medication, and how many drops to apply. Sometimes you have to apply medication to the eyes.
- Check for droplets in the eye drops, the expiration date, and don't confuse them with the ear drops.
- The medicine bottle must be intact and the tip of the bottle should not be dirty and discolored. Do not wipe or touch the tip of the bottle.
- Gently shake the bottle to allow the solution to dissolve evenly.
Prepare your baby. Explain what you are doing. Talk to them to let them know what you are about to do.
- For young children, you need to put a drop on the back of their hand to let them see that there is nothing to fear.
- Let your child see the process of administering the drops into your own eyes, or the eyes of others.You must then put the cap on the bottle to pretend to put the drops in your own or someone else's eyes.
Hold the child still. Two people are required to administer drops to a child. One person is in charge of babysitting and keeps his hands away from the eyes.
- Do not scare children. If your child is old enough to understand, let them know how important it is to keep their hands away from their eyes. You can let your children realize this so they don't feel like they're being cheated.
- Ask the child to sit down, put their hands on their lap, or lie down with their hands under their backs. The other person will be responsible for keeping the child's hand out of sight, and the head in position.
- Do it as quickly as possible so that the child is not too stressed and anxious.
Clean your child's eyes. Eyes should be clean and free from foreign matter, dirt, or sweat.
- If necessary, you can use a clean cloth or sterile gauze to gently wipe your eyes. Wipe from the inside out around the eyes.
- Throw away the towel or gauze pad after each use. Do not reuse a dirty towel or gauze pad.
Ask your child to look at the ceiling. You can put a toy in the air for them to see.
- After the child looks up, gently pull down the lower eyelid, and place a drop of the medicine in the sunken area in the eye.
- Release your hand to close your eyes. Encourage your child to close his eyes for a few minutes. Gently press on the tear duct to keep the medicine in the eye for as long as possible.
- In some cases, you will need to hold the upper and lower eyelids while administering the drops.
Do not let the bottle come into contact with your eyes. Do not allow any part of the eye, including the eyelash, to contact the tip of the medicine bottle.
- Exposing the tip of the bottle to any part of the eye will cause bacteria to enter the solution, and thus contaminate the bottle.
Close the bottle cap. Screw the cap back into the bottle so that the tip does not come into contact with foreign objects.
- Do not wipe or clean the tip of the bottle. This will cause the medicine solution to become contaminated.
- Sanitize hands thoroughly after instillation.
Praise your child. Let your children know that they are working hard to have healthier eyes.
- Even if your child is a bit stubborn, praise them. This makes it easier to use the next medication.
- Give a small reward with a compliment.
Try another method. For a child who refuses to take the drug, you should consider taking other measures.
- Be aware that this method is not as effective as the method mentioned above, but it is still better than not giving the baby drops.
- Ask your child to lie on his back, close his eyes, and then put the medicine in the eye socket, at the tear duct.
- Ask your child to open their eyes, then the medicine will flow inside.
- Ask your child to close their eyes for two to three minutes and gently press the tear duct site.
- Talk to your child's doctor about this method of instillation. Your doctor may change the prescription or increase the number of drops in a dose because this method does not expose the eye to the required amount of medication.
- Do not administer too much medicine before talking to your doctor. If used in excess of the permitted dose can cause irritation and sometimes mild burning due to preservatives in the drug.
Wrapped up babies. Young children or infants need to be carefully wrapped in a blanket to make the application easier.
- Cover the child's body to keep his hands from touching their eyes while the drops are being applied.
- You will need to separate the baby's eyelids if they cannot focus on a high object while you pull the lower eyelid.
Bottle or breast feed. After instillation, you should feed them milk to calm the spirit.
- Give breastmilk or bottle-milk right after the eye drops to calm your baby.
Advice
- Do not use medicated eye drops if you wear contact lenses. Some moisturizers are used with contact lenses, but medicines used to treat them can damage the lenses or cause eye irritation.
- If you wear contact lenses, talk to your doctor or pharmacist about the eye drops to use. Ask about how to safely administer eye drops with contact lenses, or if contact lenses need to be removed while using the eye drops.
- If you are using eye drops and ointments, you should use the eye drops first.
- If you find it difficult to take the medication, you can lie on your back to keep your head steady.
- Consider taking medication in front of the mirror. Some people find it easier to administer the drops if done in front of a mirror.
- Never use another person's eye drops or let another person use your medication.
