Eye drop tips
*editors note*
The important thing is, that you develop a way that works for you while
General tips
"RELAX"For a lot of people, it can be a stressful experience when you use your eye drops at first. Try to relax for a few minutes before you put your drops in. For most of us we'll be using eye drops of one kind or another for the rest of our lives, it will become second nature to you before you know it.
"Keep your eye drops cold"If you have trouble telling if your eye drop went into your eye, or on your cheek, ask your doctor or pharmacist about keeping your eye drops in the refrigerator. It might take a bit of getting used to, but you'll know one way or the other right away.(Some people find the cold drops refreshing once they get used to it.)
"Don't touch your eye, or anything, with the tip of your bottle!"Some people will stick the tip of the bottle in the corner of their eye in an attempt to make sure that the drop goes into the right place.This is a bad idea as it can contaminate the tip of the bottle with bacteria that would normally be washed out of your eye by your tears. Once on the tip of the bottle they can grow and multiply. They can even get inside the bottle and contaminate your medicine.
"Punctal Occlusion"One thing that has people confused, is the suggestion of closing the tear duct to keep the drops from draining and causing systemic side effects. In the corner of your eye, on the nose side, there is a tiny bulge. It is sometimes hard to feel, but it is there. That is the tear duct. To help keep your drops from absorbing into your system and causing some of those nasty side effects, apply your drops normally and then press gently on the tear duct(s) for about one minute. It works wonders!
"Once the drops are in"Once you have the drops in your eyes, continue to keep your head tilted backward, or even lay down while pinching your tear ducts. This will help the drop stay in your eye(s) while not draining down the tear duct.Usually, your doctor will tell you to keep your eyes closed from 1-3 minutes after you put in your drops. A good way to time yourself is to remember that a song on the radio is usually almost 3 to 4 minutes. While a commercial on television is normally 30 seconds to one minute. If you need to take more than one medication at a time, ask your doctor and pay close attention if he or she tells you to take the drops in a particular order. You should also ask how long you should wait between drops. A good rule of thumb is to wait at least 5 minutes between medications. (ED: My doctor tells me you can't wait too long. Just make sure that you use the prescribed number of drops each day.) [Back to top]
Personal Methods
"I sit on the edge of the bathroom counter top, which is adjacent to my
medicine cabinet that has a mirror. I cup one eye and while looking into the
mirror I add one drop of Betagan. Then the same thing with my second eye. With
my eyes closed I've learned to locate where I placed the cap of the Betagan, and
recap it.
"I raise my left arm over the top of my head and use my index finger to hold the top eyelid open. With the bottle of drops between my right thumb and index finger, I use my right middle finger to hold open my bottom eyelid. This allows me a good way of centering the bottle over my eye by positioning it parallel to my middle finger. The angle that the bottle is held is something that takes a bit of practice. I use my left middle finger to sort of check and make sure it is pointing in the right direction and is not too close."
"I insert my drops with my dominant hand (i.e., right hand if
you/'re right handed) and open my eye with my other hand. I simply
use my index finger to hold open the upper lid by pressing on my eyelashes.
Then I use my middle finger to hold down my lower lid by pressing on the
outside of the lid, just below my eye. Now that i have my eye open, I
simply lean my head back and allow gravity to help the drop fall into
my eye.
"I use a different method for each eye. I bring my left hand over the back of my head and grab the top lid of my right eye with the first three fingers. I just tilt myself way back and hold the bottle straight up and down over my eye. (if it was a gun, I'd be looking straight into the barrel.) Half the time I don't even have to squeeze the bottle. For my left eye I use my left hand and hold the top lid open with my first finger and the bottom lid open with my thumb. (Almost like a salute.) I also hold the bottle straight up and down for my left eye."
"I put my drops in by putting a drop in my left eye first. Tilting my head back, with my index finger of my left hand I hold the lower eye lid down and in my right hand is the bottle of eye drops. Putting drops in my right eye, I hold my lower eye lid down with the index finger of my right hand and I have the bottle of eye drops in my left hand."
"
Reading all of the descriptions of how to put in eye drops has been
interesting to me. It is just something that I do eight times a day and
hardly think about, but when I think about it, it is complicated to explain
exactly how I do it. I have been putting in my own eye drops for about 17
years. Several years ago, I discovered that I can administer drops
one-handed while talking on the phone (I had to take Pred. drops every 2
hours).
[General tips]
[Personal methods]
[A visual demonstration]
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