How to Put Eye Drops In
Putting eye drops in is a crucial part of a healthy eye care routine, whether you suffer from a long-term condition e.g. dry eye, glaucoma or allergies. However, putting eye drops in yourself can sometimes be a difficult task, relying on a steady hand and good hand-to-eye coordination.
In this guide, we offer some step-by-step instructions and additional tips to help you feel more comfortable and confident with the process of putting eye drops in effectively.
How to put drops in your eye
There are a number of ways you can put drops in your eye successfully, giving you the chance to find the method that works best for you. Before applying any eye drops it is essential to wash your hands and prepare your environment. If required you may also need to remove contact lenses.
The National Eye Institute (NEI)1 recommends these simple steps:
1. Tilt your head back and look up
2. With one hand, pull your lower eyelid down and away from your eyeball — this makes a “pocket” for the drops
3. With the other hand, hold the eye drop bottle as indicated with the tip just above the eyelid pocket you have created
4. Squeeze the recommended number of eye drops into the eyelid pocket as recommended by your health care professional or in the packaged information leaflet
5. Repeat for your other eye using the same steps
6. For at least 30 seconds, close your eyes and press your finger lightly on your tear ducts (the small holes in the inner corner of your eyelid) — this keeps the eye drop from draining down the back of your throat.
Moorfields Eye Hospital recommends the ‘wrist-knuckle’ technique, which includes:
1. Shake the bottle if required before opening it.
2. Lie or sit down and tilt your head back.
3. Make a fist with one hand and use your knuckles to pull your lower eyelid downwards, and place your other hand with the eye drop bottle onto your knuckles.
4. Look up and squeeze one drop into your lower eyelid.
5. Repeat for your other eye using the same steps
6. Close your eye and press gently on the inner corner for at least 30 seconds to ensure the drop is fully absorbed.
We have a helpful video to guide you through using our Thealoz Duo eye drops and how to administer them correctly.
5 reasons you might struggle to put eye drops in effectively
There are a number of reasons why administering eye drops may be difficult. Some of these include:
- Visual impairments: If you suffer from sight loss from conditions such as glaucoma, AMD or cataracts you may struggle to coordinate the input of eye drops. Similarly if you rely heavily on spectacles and have poor vision without them you may also struggle putting in eye drops.
- Dexterity: Putting in eye drops can require fine motor movements and agility, which may be difficult if you suffer with conditions like Parkinsons, Multiple Sclerosis, Arthritis and others all of which can cause shaky hands or a weaker grip .
- Coordination: Matching up your visual input to guide hand movements simultaneously is crucial for being able to put eye drops in your eye without missing.
- Reflex blinking: It’s natural for the eye to want to close when something comes near the eye, as it’s a reflex designed to protect the eye from foreign particles.
- Anxiety: The thought of putting eye drops in can make some people feel anxious, which makes it difficult to administer them.
At Théa we have developed our unique ABAK bottle design, which allows users to simply squeeze the bottle while resting the nozzle on the bridge of the nose, releasing a controlled single dosage of the solution.
Additional tips for using eye drops
It’s important to wash your hands before putting in eye drops and taking care not to touch the tip of the dispensing bottle. Also, keep the tip of the bottle away from your eyes to avoid touching your eyes.
As prescribed or purchased for your specific eye needs, you must not share your eye drops with someone else also to avoid the risk of contamination.
Always follow the advice of your eye health professional and refer to the instructions for use.
If you need to take more than one type of eye drop, always check with your eye care professional. It is recommended to wait at least fifteen minutes before applying different drops in the same eye. This is to ensure that the previous eye drops you have already instilled aren’t washed away by subsequent ones!
What are gel eye drops?
You might notice that some eye drops are described as a gel, which offers a high viscosity solution. Thealoz Duo Gel, for example, are single use vials with a gel that contains added carbomer for longer-lasting relief. The carbomer makes the drops typically thicker than other eye drops, making them ideal for night-time hydration.
To help with administering Thealoz Duo Gel drops or other single-dose, preservative-free eye drops, Thea Eyot is an available dispensing aid to ensure support with aiming the vial and squeezing the bottle.
How to put drops in your child’s eye
If your children require eye drops, it can be difficult to know the best way to administer them successfully. Advice from Great Ormond Steet Hospital2 includes laying your child flat or tilting their head back, before gently pulling the lower eyelid and squeeze a drop into the area.
However, if you are finding it difficult or your child is distressed, you can administer the drops with their eyes closed by placing the drop on to the side of the closed eye nearest the nose. It’s important to note that this doesn’t work as well, and you should consult an eye care professional if you’re concerned.
If you are struggling to administer drops to yourself or someone you care for, there may be an alternative option to use a spray. Zaspray is our unique 3 in 1 dry eye solution to deliver symptom relief from itchy, dry irritated and red eyes related to allergy, and can be used with the eyes closed.
Maintaining a good eye care routine is key to healthy eyes and our range of Théa products can help. From dry eye drops to eyelid cleansing solutions, you can browse our full range here.
References:
1. https://www.nei.nih.gov/Glaucoma/glaucoma-medicines/how-put-eye-drops