Almost all of us have at some point needed to "drop" eye drops, but few people know the correct way to put a drop in the eye.
There are drops that do not take medication like artificial tears and others that if they carry it (eye drops). When prescribing or buying them rarely explain how they should be used so there are many people who do not know how to administer them correctly, and can cause a bad result because of this lack of information.
As this doubt I usually pose in the cabinet seems to me a very interesting topic for the Blog, so today we will talk about how to put a drop in the eye.
Remember that there are other ways that can also be just right, so if you have any questions ask your doctor, optometrist or pharmacy about whether or not you are doing the right thing.
Tips before you drop a drop in the eyes
- Follow the instructions of the professional who prescribed you the drops.
- When opening the eye drops may be a loose washer in the base of the dropper. Remove it to avoid dropping it in the eye.
- If they are drops with medication, be sure to tell your doctor about any other medications you are taking (including over-the-counter medicines such as vitamins, aspirin and supplements). You should also let him know about any allergies you may have.
- Wash your hands thoroughly before putting eye drops.
- Take care to prevent the tip of the dropper from touching your eye.
- Make sure the dropper is clean.
- If you need to put more than one drop or more of a type, wait at least 5-10 minutes before putting on the second eye drop. This will prevent that part of the first drop can be drawn by the second before you have had time to take effect.
- As with all other medicines, keep eye drops out of the reach of children.
How to put drops on your eyes:
- Start by tilting your head back while you are sitting, standing or lying facing as high as you can.
- Pull the soft part of the lower eyelid with your index finger. Do it gently down to form a bag or pocket.
- With the opposite hand, hold the container and drop a drop into the pocket that you made in the previous step. (It can be done with the same hand the whole process but it is something more complicated to calculate well). Do not look directly at the dropper but always higher.
- Once the drop drops, it flickers a few times very gently, holding the same position and still pulling the lower eyelid.
- Slowly release lower eyelid. Close your eyes, but try not to force it as this could expel much of the drop of your eye.
- Gently press on the inner (closest to the nose) with your eyelids closed with your index finger and thumb for two to three minutes. This will help keep the eye drops in contact with the eye longer without leaving the tear duct.
- Dry with a tissue around your eyes any excess that has been left out of the eye.
- Tips for putting eye drops on older people with difficulties by the normal method.
- The ideal is to use drop dispensers like the Opticare that simplify a lot of drops to people with difficulties. You can see how it works and buy it on Amazon at a good price by clicking here.
- If your hands are shaking: Try to support the wrist of the hand holding the dropper over which holds the lower eyelid to gain stability.
- If it is difficult for you to hold the bottle because it slips you can wrap the bottle with a kleenex so you can hold it better.
- If all else fails ... try this other way for extreme cases (not so recommended)
- With her head turned to one side or lying on her side, she closes her eyes. Place a drop on the inner corner of the eyelid (the side closest to the bridge of the nose). When you open your eyes slowly gravity will cause the drop to go directly into the eye.
Other important information:
The first drops you throw through this system will possibly fall out of the eye, so do not worry it's normal.
You can practice this technique with artificial tears that do not take medication to get perfect your technique of use of drops before starting to use eye drops.
If you are not sure that the drop has entered the eye, throw another quickly. The eyelids may contain only a drop, so any excess will only be expelled. It is better to risk a small excess than not having enough eye treatment.
There are also help devices but I think that following these tips will never need you to use them.
Be scrupulous in respecting the treatment guidelines as to frequency since otherwise the treatment will not work.
Helpful Resources:
